When the cold weather arrives many folks begin to look forward to comfort foods. You know? The sort of dish that just seems to fit a cold or even snowy day. In other words, we aren’t presenting a light summer salad here because it’s cold and we need food that suits the weather. It is in that spirit that I present to you my recipe for homemade meatballs with a creamy dill sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs loose ground sausage

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dried sage

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried dill

2 tsp Thyme

1 cup pank0 bread crumbs

Ingredients for the sauce:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

6 cups whole milk

1 tbsp dill

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 pack of cream cheese (8 oz.)

Recipe:

I begin with the meatballs because I can work on the sauce while the meatballs are baking.

For the meatballs:

I begin by mixing the turkey and sausage together, once that mixture is evenly mixed, I add the rest of the ingredients and then mix again. There are a lot of tools to mix meatballs, but I find the best tool is just to get my hands in there and mash all the ingredients together. Once the ingredients are evenly incorporated, I line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat my oven to 400 degrees. Then I begin to shape the meatballs and place them onto the baking sheet. Once all the meatballs are formed, I place them on the middle rack of my preheated oven to bake for about an hour. I flip the meatballs about twenty to thirty minutes in. After about an hour, the meatballs should be completely cooked through and are removed from the oven to await their final destination in the sauce.

For the sauce:

I begin by making a roux. If you’ve never made a roux, it’s surprisingly simple: Simply melt your two tablespoons of butter and then add your two tablespoons of flour. But, it is important to have your other ingredients at the ready because if the roux burns before you add the milk, it will not be delicious, it will be quite the opposite. Once the roux thickens, add your six cups of milk and your spices. Again, you will want to stir this frequently to incorporate all the ingredients. I typically work my sauces on a medium heat level. After a a few moments, enough to get the milk and roux heated up (the milk will be cold when you add it so it takes a bit for the mixture to come up to temp) I add the cream cheese and then I use a kitchen whisk to stir the sauce. After another five to seven minutes, the sauce will be thick and bubbly and ready for the meatballs. Add your meatballs directly into the sauce and allow to simmer for a few minutes over low heat.

I usually serve the dish over rice with a side of green veg. Asparagus works really well flavor wise as a side vegetable for this dish.

The leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.