Sharon H. lost her favorite meatball recipe years ago. She remembered it having rusk, dill and beef broth in it. We adapted this one, printed in the Chicago Tribune in 1949, and updated in 1966, to get there.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Meatball Ingredients

• 5 slices rusk (round toasts)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 lbs meat loaf mixture (equal parts ground beef, pork and veal)

Dill Sauce Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 10 1/2 ounces beef broth or consomme
• 1/2 cup light cream
• salt and pepper
• 1 to 2 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350. Crumble rusk in bowl. Pour milk over and let soften.
2. Add beaten egg, salt pepper, grated onion, nutmeg and meat mixture. Combine. Roll into small balls, about an inch in diameter. (Note: if mixture seems too soft, adjust by crumbling one more rusk into mixture, or, adding slightly more ground meat.)
3. Place single layer of meatballs in baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until browned and cooked through, periodically pouring off fat. Separate fat from any collected meat juices. Discard fat; reserve meat juices.
4. To make sauce: Heat butter in saute pan. blend in flour and let cook for a few minutes but do not brown. Stir in broth (and the meat juices separated from the fat you drained off). Stir in cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and satiny. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in dill.
5. We like to serve the meatballs stacked in bowls, adding the sauce at the table.