Option 1 (For meat lovers)
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
Option 2 (For chicken lovers)
2 1/2 lbs. ground Chicken
Common ingredients:
2 1/2 cups fresh potato breadcrumbs (instructions below)
1 Tbls. kosher salt
3 jumbo eggs
1 Tbls. garlic powder
1 Tbls. dried parsley
1 Tbls. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. onion powder ( you could also use one finely chopped onion)
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil for frying
Makes about 50 golf-ball-sized meatballs. (Don`t worry that it`s too many. I usually freeze them for later use)
Method
Make the potato breadcrumbs (You could use the bread crumbs available in the stores, but making your own makes the meatballs really moist and yummy)
Start with about 6 slices of fresh potato bread. Any brand you like will work.
Rip the bread up crust and all into smallish pieces and toss into the bowl of your food processor, fitted with the regular chopping blade. Pulse a few times until the bread breaks down into crumbs. They should look about like this:
Measure them. You should have about 2 1/2 cups. If you’re under, process another slice, etc., until you have enough.
Set the breadcrumbs aside while you deal with the meat.
Combine the meats (If you want to use Chicken only, It is perfectly fine!)
Put the ground pork and beef into a large mixing bowl.
Mix the meats together with your hands, until they form a uniform paste.
Combine the eggs, herbs, and spices
In a medium-sized bowl, put the eggs, salt, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, onion powder, and black pepper. Whisk them together to combine well.
I add all these ingredients to the egg like this to help evenly distribute them through the meat. (If you toss the dry herbs right onto the meat, and then don’t mix it really thoroughly, you can wind up with tiny pockets of concentrated spice.)
Add the egg mixture to the meat
Pour the egg mixture over the meat.
Mix the egg and meat together by hand.
Keep mixing until all the egg is absorbed and you have a uniform consistency. Your mixture should look about like this:
Add the breadcrumbs
Toss in about half the breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly with your hands. I mix in the breadcrumbs in two batches to help ensure evenness.
It should look about like this:
Add the rest of the breadcrumbs and mix to combine.
The finished consistency should be really kind of wet and sticky. That’s just what you want.
Fry a test meatball
Don’t skip this step. Trust me. It’s your last chance to correct the flavors and seasoning in your meatballs. (If you go through the trouble of making these by hand, then don’t like how they taste, you’ll be really sad.)
Grab a little bit of the meatball mixture and form it into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Roll it between the palms of your hands to get it nice and round
Put a little olive oil in a small frying pan, heat it over medium-high heat, and drop your meatball in.
Brown it on the bottom, then flip it a few times to brown most of the other sides.
Depending on the size of your meatball and how hot your stove is, your meatball should cook in about 5 minutes, give or take. It should be firm, and have a nice crust on most sides.
When you think it’s done, give it a taste. (Take note of how long it took to cook. That’s about how long you’ll cook the large batch.)
If you like it, keep moving on to the next step, and roll out the rest of the meatballs. If you think it needs something, rinse and repeat. (Re-season your meatball mixture, fry a test meatball, and taste it.)
Roll all the meatballs (a.k.a. assemble your meatball army)
Line a sheet pan with wax paper.
Roll out your meatballs, just like you did with the test meatball. Line the finished meatballs up on the sheet pan. Make them all about the same size, so that they cook evenly.
Keep going until you’ve used up all the meatball mixture. You’ll wind up with a small meatball army.
Cook your meatballs (If you prefer you could cook them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes)
Don’t cook the meatballs ’til you can give them your undivided attention for maybe 15 minutes. You’ll need to keep an eye on them, so they don’t overcook.
You want to fry them on all sides over relatively high heat to promote a good crust. By the time all the sides are brown, they should be just about cooked on the inside. Cook them for about as long as you cooked your test meatball.
Put a little olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet. I use a double-burner pan to maximize my stove-top real estate.
Heat the oil for maybe 20 seconds or so over medium-high heat. Add your meatballs to the pan.
Don’t crowd them. You want them to brown�not steam.
When they have a nice crust on the bottom, flip them over.
Turn the heat down a smidge at this point if the oil starts to spit and sputter.
When they have a good crust on the flip side, stir them around with a wooden spoon to brown the edges. When you think they’re done, test one to be sure.
Depending on how much fat your meatballs give off�and how you’re serving them�you may want to transfer them to a wire rack to drain for a minute or two.
Make a quick marinara
If you’ve got a half an or so before you’re going to eat, you can whip up a quick sauce. (Cover your meatballs tightly and keep ‘em warm in a low oven.)
See this?
Don’t waste the flavorful oil and all those good brown bits that are left in your pan.
Pour the oil into a medium-sized saucepan (use as much or as little as you like) and use it as the basis for a flavorful, quick sauce.
To the oil, add a 28-oz. can of ground, peeled tomatoes. I like Pastene brand. Toss in 3 really fresh bay leaves.
Whisk to combine the oil and tomatoes. Add a little kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Stir to mix well.
Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat. When it starts to bubble, drop the heat to low. Cover the pot tightly and cook for 20 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. (The longer you cook it, the stronger the bay-leaf flavor will be.)
Serve with meatballs over pasta, or use as a sauce to make meatball subs.
Enjoy!
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