- 1
Ingredients
- Small to medium (2 to 3 1/2 quart) slow cooker
- 1 lb lean ground beef, preferably sirloin 500 g
- 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs 250 mL
- 1 onion, grated
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest 10 mL
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 30 mL
- 1/2 tsp salt 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp allspice 2 mL
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil 30 mL
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour 45 mL
- 1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns 2 mL
- 2 cups beef broth, heated to the boiling point 500 mL
- 1/2 cup sour cream 125 mL
- 1/2 cup finely chopped dill fronds 125 mL
Preparation
Step 1
Instructions
In a bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, lemon zest and juice, salt, allspice, and pepper to taste. Mix well. Using your hands, shape into balls about ½ inch (1 cm) in diameter.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in batches and cook, stirring, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware as completed. Add flour to pan and cook, stirring, until frothy but not browning, about 2 minutes. Stir in peppercorns. Add beef broth and cook, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes (see Notes). Pour over meatballs.
Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until meatballs are cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Add sour cream and dill to stoneware and stir well. Pour over meatballs and serve.
Tip
You may want to use a whisk while combining the flour mixture and hot stock, to minimize the possibility of lumps.