Meatballs with vodka dill cream sauce

I actually quite liked this dish! It wasn't too bland for us, though that might be due to the fact that I accidentally added 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg instead of 1/4 teaspoon.

I normally always use half the amount salt and/or stock cubes called for. In this recipe, I used half the amount of salt in the meatballs, but the full stock cube for 430ml water. DH consequentially thought that the stock was too salty; I might just add more water next time. There was also just a bit too little sauce, though that might be less of a problem if you serve the dish with potatoes instead of pasta.

I also learned something I'm really happy with: I started out constantly moving the meatballs in the pan, with the result that they started falling apart. Don't; let them rest for 1-2 minutes before you move them. Even though it'll look like they'll stick to the pan and burn, they won't. The important thing is that you keep the temperature low. Also, I think letting the meatballs rest for several hours before frying them really helped them develop their flavour.

Like redjanet, I think the flavour of the vodka added at the end is a bit too strong; after I had taken out the meatballs, I brought the sauce to a quick boil to get rid of the alcoholic flavour.

Served with Cranberry Compote and buttered tagliatelle, as suggested.

Makes about 45 meatballs; serves six.