Meatballs are better when they're made by hand

I was wandering the local megamart and saw a package of premade meatballs. All you had to do was reheat them and serve as desired. Amazing! So was the price. They were also huge; so not that easy to eat. Could I do better?

My go-to for an easy meatball recipe is to make up a batch of meatloaf and then portion as desired. Not a bad option, but doesn’t provide a lot of variety either. My early memories of meatloaf include rice as an add-in. This doesn’t work well in a meatball. I tried oatmeal once. Once. My favorite is plain old bread. For the Swedish meatballs, I had a partial baguette loaf, so I placed an equivalent amount in the food processor for use.

Some recipes call for using a stand mixer to really incorporate the ingredients together. I think this makes them a bit more spongy, so I’ll mix my ingredients by hand. Use some gloves if this really isn’t your thing.

I’ve got a few different varieties of dishers in the house. You know what those are. They are the scoops you might have seen in school cafeterias of old where the cook scooped you out a half-round shape of mashed potatoes. Those jobbies are still handy to have around. The smallest one I have in the house would make meatballs the size of the ones I bemoaned in the opening paragraph. No problem here. I scooped out all the meat and then divided each one by hand and rolled gently to return to round.

I like to bake meatballs as I like the even browning my oven produces. Also it frees up real estate on top of the stove for other things. For quick browning in a standard oven, you have to crank up the temperature. For those with a convection oven, browning is a bit easier as you can blow around the hot air, quickening the cooking time at a lower temperature.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

2 slices white bread

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Salt

3/4 pound ground beef

3/4 pound ground pork

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup flour

3 cups beef broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the bread in a food processor and reduce to fine pieces. Place it in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter; add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat them until soft. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the bread and milk, ground meats, yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Mix well. Shape meat into rounds of about the same size and place on a sheet pan. Place pan in oven and bake until light brown. Time will depend on how big the meatballs are. In a large frying pan, heat remaining butter. Remove meatballs from oven and pour any cooking juices and fats into the frying pan from the meatballs. Reduce heat to low and add flour. Stir until lightly browned. Add beef broth and stir until it begins to thicken. Add the cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until the gravy reaches desired thickness. Place meatballs in sauce to coat well before serving.

BURGUNDY MEATBALL STEW

2 pounds hamburger

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup bread crumbs soaked in 1/2 cup burgundy wine

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Flour

1/3 cup butter

3 cups boiling water

5 cloves

1 cup burgundy wine

4 cups potatoes, cubed

2 cups carrots, diced

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups sliced celery

Mix together hamburger, eggs, soaked crumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Form into 32 balls, roll in flour and brown on all sides in skillet with the butter. Add the boiling water, cloves, and wine. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are done. Remove cloves before serving.

MINTY MEATBALLS

2 pounds ground beef

3 eggs, beaten

2 onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons salt

Vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients, except oil, and form into 40 balls, using slightly wet hands. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large pan to 350 degrees. Cook about 5 meatballs at a time, to keep oil temperature from falling too low. Cook, turning occasionally to brown evenly. With a thermometer, check to make sure internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Drain on a paper towel. Finish remaining balls in same fashion. Serve hot.

CREOLE MEAT BALLS AND NOODLES

1/2 pound hamburger

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

2-1/2 cups canned tomatoes

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

6 ounces egg noodles

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

Mix together hamburger, egg, crumbs, salt, and pepper. Form into balls and brown in a large skillet with the butter. Add onions, celery, tomatoes, Worcestershire, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. In meantime, cook egg noodles according to directions on package. Mix together flour and butter. Stir into meat ball mixture. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Serve over noodles.