Dillkött (Swedish Veal in Dill Sauce)

About This Recipe

Dillkött is a real, traditional Swedish dish, known as Swedish Veal in Dill Sauce. Gently poached veal in a tangy, herbaceous dill and vinegar cream sauce, a quieter Swedish classic served with boiled potatoes.\n\nDillkött is a traditional Swedish home-cooking dish rooted in the country's long use of fresh dill as a defining herb, historically served for special Sunday dinners when veal was more affordable than today.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Swedish home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgveal shoulder or breast(cubed)
• 1.2 Lwater
• 1yellow onion(halved)
• 2bay leaves
• 8white peppercorns
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 3 tbspbutter
• 3 tbspall-purpose flour
• 2 tbspwhite vinegar
• 1 tbspsugar
• 100 mlheavy cream
• 4 tbspchopped fresh dill
• 800 gpotatoes(boiled, to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the veal

   Simmer veal, water, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in a pot for 1 hour until tender, skimming foam occasionally.

2. 2

   Strain and reserve

   Strain the meat from the poaching liquid, reserving 700 ml of the broth.

3. 3

   Make the roux

   Melt butter in a clean pot, whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Build the sauce

   Gradually whisk in the reserved broth, then simmer for 8 minutes until thickened.

5. 5

   Season

   Stir in vinegar, sugar and cream, tasting and adjusting the sweet-sour balance.

6. 6

   Finish

   Return the veal to the sauce, warm through, stir in fresh dill just before serving, and serve with boiled potatoes.

Variations

• •

  Lamb can replace veal for a heartier, more assertive version.

• •

  Some cooks add a few whole dill sprigs to the poaching liquid for deeper flavor.

• •

  Serve with lingonberry jam on the side for extra contrast, though it's optional in this dish.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions