Meatballs
This recipe originally came from Lady by the Bay. I have made changes to the original recipe over the years. My family love these meatballs and I do not have to clean up the mess of frying them.
We process our own wild game, so the meat is custom to us. I will try to get some of our game meat processing posted later. Bacon ends and pieces are ground and mixed into the ground venison to cut the wild taste. The bacon also adds a little smoke flavor to the meatballs. If you do not have Italian elk sausage, spicy Italian pork sausage can be substituted.
1 lb. ground venison (90/10)
1 lb. Italian elk sausage
2 eggs
3/4 cup garlic flavored croutons
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp. finely minced onion
3 clove garlic, finely minced
(I love garlic)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely minced
1/2 cup fresh grated or shredded parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
Directions
1. Place croutons in a food processor and pulse a few times to make crumbs, or place in a large plastic bag and pound a few times with a mallet, rolling pin, back of pan, or other blunt object, to make crumbs.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Turn oven on low broil setting.
4. Add all meatball ingredients, except olive oil, to a large bowl. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
5. Using a small scoop, I use a melon baller, scoop meat out and shape into balls. Using a scoop keeps them all the same size so they cook evenly.
6. Place meatballs on lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.
7. Drizzle the tops of all the meatballs with a little olive oil.
8. Place in preheated oven and cook on low broil for 15 minutes. No need to turn them. After 15 minutes turn the broiler on high and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until they become dark and slightly crispy on the outside.
9. Use a large saucepan or pot to warm up your favorite marinara. As the meatballs come out of the oven let them simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes before serving.