Grandma's "Königsberger Klopse"

Recently I asked J what he would like for dinner. He sent me a link to a recipe of Omas Königsberger Klopse. It looked like meatballs with creamy sauce. It seemed like a dish that a German grandma makes for her family. I have never seen it before but I accepted the challenge. I checked three or four more recipes of the dish online. Each preparation was somewhat similar but there were some differences among those recipes in terms of ingredients. For example, meat choice - beef, pork, veal, or mix; with or without cream or milk/egg/lemon for the sauce; spice/herb choice - nutmeg, parsley, caraway, etc.; broth to boil meatballs - beef broth, vegetable broth, water and spices/herbs; and so on. I guess every grandma has her own preference. However, all grandmas use capers in the sauce and some also add in the meatballs. The sourness in the sauce seems the key in the dish. 

I combined two recipes and made up my recipe Ver.1 of Königsberger Klopse. The result was pretty good. J approved it. Later I learned about the dish more. The dish originates from the former capital of East Prussia, Königsberg. Today it is Kaliningrad, the capital of the small Russian enclave of the same name, located between between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea. Klops means little dumpling in East Prussian. The dish used to be called "Soßklops," or Sour little dumpling and it became known in the rest of Germany via kitchen servants who moved from the region to another city in Germany. In the original recipe, veal was chosen for the meatballs, alternatively veal and pork, and anchovies were mixed in. Also the sour sauce was seasoned with lemon zest and capers as well as anchovy. Actually only two of four grandma's recipes that I checked before cooking used anchovy and I skipped it this time with no reason. Next time I will add anchovy at least in the meatballs. Classic side dishes are supposed to be beetroot, mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. I liked simple boiled potatoes served with the dish. I used only ground beef this time, which I liked the output while I would like to try with ground veal next time if it is easily available. Ok, I am ready for the next time!