One of our fave meatballs recipes is also wicked versatile.
I made these meal size using a two tablespoon scoop, but you could easily cut them down to cocktail size. I used a mix of hot Italian and Portuguese sausage, but you could use ground pork and any sausage you like. You could also use gluten-free panko crumbs for those folx who cannot handle breadcrumbs.
See? Easy-peasey!
INGREDIENTS
•1-1/4 lb ground pork
•20 oz Portuguese sausage
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 cup gluten-free panko crumbs
•2 eggs
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp paprika
•1/2 tsp allspice
•1/2 tsp curry powder
•1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/2 tsp black pepper
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Heat your oven to 350º and line a rimmed baking pan with heavy duty foil.
Place the eggs, garlic, panko crumbs, Sherry Peppers Sauce, and seasonings in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until nicely blended. Set aside to rest for five or ten minutes.
Slice into the sausages and remove the casings. Add to the food processor along with the ground pork and pulse until well and truly blended.
Using a scoop, portion out your meatballs and arrange in a single layer on the baking pans. I used a two tablespoon scoop and ended up with 14 meatballs total. If you’d like to use these as a most excellent cocktail appetizer, go ahead and use a smaller scoop. Just remember to mebbe adjust your over all baking time.
Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Remove from the oven and set aside to rest while you make the sauce.
Oh, yeh, about that sauce?
It is wicked simple and really far too tasty to share a post with the meatballs that are perfect with it, so…
tune in tomorrow!