Meatball 101

Whenever I find ground beef on special or score a big bundle from Costco, I love to make a giant batch of meatballs. They're great to keep on hand in the freezer-- for appetizers, meatball sandwiches, to serve with ravioli or of course, with spaghetti. Try not to over handle your meat when combining ingredients, mix just until combined. These meatballs are tender, flavorful and I find they go perfectly with a variety of sauces.



BASIC MEATBALLS

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
3 lbs. lean ground beef
1-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs*
3/4 cup cream or milk
1-1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1-1/2 teaspoons Johnny's Au Sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
1 teaspoon pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cornstarch
3 Tablespoons oil, more if needed

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion until tender but not brown. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together: beef, crumbs, cream, salt, au jus, pepper & eggs. Add onion and combine thoroughly. Shape into 3/4 to 1 inch balls, depending on your preference.



Refrigerate shaped balls for 30 minutes. Roll in cornstarch to cover meatballs lightly.
In a large skillet, heat oil. When hot, add meatballs--a dozen at a time-- and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

When cooled, freeze in tightly sealed Tupperware or ZipLoc freezer bags for up to 3 months.

*I make my bread crumbs out of the bakery Cheddar/Jalapeno rolls. Each roll = 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs. Toss rolls into food processor or blender and pulse quickly until crumbs. Store crumbs in container in refrigerator for up to 2 months.




I love to serve these meatballs in a number of different sauces for appetizers:



Mr. Yoshida Original Sauce
Honey BBQ Sauce
Sweet & Sour sauce
Brown gravy with buttered egg noodles (delicious~!)
Spaghetti sauce
Marinara
Teriyaki sauce
Stroganoff sauce

Makes about 75-80 meatballs.