Chief Longwind...
I am pretty much a self taught cook. All the french mother sauces intimidate me. So I totally get your reluctance on bechermel....
I hate to say it, but you might be overdoing the meatballs.
My recipe;
5 lbs ground beef. I use the 73% beef that comes in a tube. I also don't ask a lot of questions about the 27% You end up with a lot of excess grease, I use it to condition my cast iron.
2 cups bread crumbs. If you do it right, you can get expired wonder bread for this.
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs. I never get why they charge an extra buck for extra large, really? Try sometime holding up them side by side.
2 tbsp mustard. OK I don't skimp on this, I use Colman's I have shite for base, but I have good condiments
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup oil for frying.
all the ingredients combine, and mix well, set up into balls. Put up in freezer for 10 minutes to set.
Fry in oil on medium high heat in a warm cast iron pan until seared.
This will make a bunch of meatballs, I freeze them in groups of ten in a ziplock.
Swedish Meatballs
2 1/4 cups beef broth
1 tbsp Worcestershire
2 tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp minced parsley
12 oz cooked egg noodles
combine 2 cups broth, Worcestershire, mustard, spices, whisk together bring to a near boil
Make a mix of corn starch and rest of broth. At boil whisk in and whisk in cream slowly so as not to scald.
Add meatballs from previous recipe and simmer.
Cheers,
TBS
I'm sorry. I wasn't clear enough. I have no trouble making any of the Mother Sauces. I was responding to my friend's statement that he'd had this Bechamel Sauce at a fancy Detroit restaurant that was the best he'd ever eaten. I wanted to top that sauce. But others who responded were correct, Bechemel is Bechemel. Just stick to the original recipe.
As for the meatballs, again I've pretty much got them down to a science, and they are similar to your own, but with some changes in ground meats and seasonings.
The person I was making this for wanted Swedish meatballs that were principally, meatballs in a Bechemel. If I were to make them for a pot luck, I would still make a roux, but brown it more, and make an Espagnole Sauce instead of a Bechemel. I would add mushrooms as well, and use a combination of milk and cream. This would acutally be a small sauce made from the Espagnole Sauce.
I took my Swedish Meatballs to work and served them over noodles. The friend told me that the meatballs were the best he'd ever had, and that the sauce was perfect.
The meatballs were actually a combination of the Yooper meatball (half ground beef, half chudagi sausage, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, an egg, liquefied onion, S&P, and my own herb and spice mix. The meatballs were made smaller that those that come from the Mediterranean countries, and firmer. I did my homework and researched Swedish Meatballs. I believe I posted the recipe already.
I appreciate the addition of mustard to the meatball mixture. Your meatballs sound very good. I will have to try your recipe. Like you, I am a self-taught cook, and can make virtually anything I want, from light and moist yeats risen doughnuts, to home-made pasta, to Ahi Tuna and Swordfish on the barbecue.
The list of things I've made are too numerous to write down on this site. I am a fairly accomplished cook, and put recipes in our local Tribal Paper.
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but rather, give you an idea of what I can do, so that we can share recipes, and trust that they will produce quality food.
I appreciate your comments, and again, your meatball recipe looks great, though I would make the sauce differently.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North