These days, it seems like mashed potatoes are everywhere. It is cold. And has been snowing. Couldn’t hold it and made my own mash. With Chicken and Pork Meatballs.
The idea for the meatball mix stems from Ina Garten’s Italian Wedding soup recipe in Back to Basics. I substituted sausage for plain pork because that’s what I had and added a mix of herbs from our garden, dried and pulverized in a coffee grinder. The idea for that mix came from a label on an Italian Seasoning bottle that I didn’t want to buy to just add another item to the already crowded shelf. Besides, it didn’t look that great anyway.
The gravy is a compilation of ingredients from various Swedish meatballs recipes that I have accumulated over the years.
And, on the side, a cucumber salad with sour cream is just perfect.
WHAT WENT IN
For Meatballs
— 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
— 1/3 cup Parmesan/Pecorino cheese mix, grated
— 1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
— 1 Tbsp mixed and pulverized rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, oregano, parsley
— 1 tsp salt
— 1/2 tsp black pepper
— 1/3 cup heavy cream
— 1 egg, lightly beaten
— 1 small onion, grated
— 5 garlic cloves, minced
— 1 lb ground chicken
— 1 lb ground pork
For the Gravy
— 2 cups chicken broth
— 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
— 1 tsp Worcestershire or fish sauce
— 1/4 cup heavy cream
— 1 tsp onion powder
— 1 tsp garlic powder
— 1 tsp mustard powder
— 1 Tbsp pulverized herb mix as for meatballs
— a few dashes of Maggi sauce
— 4 Tbsp butter
— 4 Tbsp flour
THE PROCESS
1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Combine all the meatballs ingredients, adding the meat last so not to over mix it.
3. Refrigerate the mix for at least half and hour — this way it will stick together better.
4. Make 32 meatballs. They should be about 38 g each.
5. Bake in the preheated oven on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes.
6. Broil for a few minutes just to give them some color if you wish.
7. Meanwhile combine the sauce ingredients besides butter and flour.
8. In a large saucepan that would fit all the meatballs, over medium heat melt the butter, add the flour and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the mix turns light brown.
9. Slowly add the premixed sauce ingredients to butter-flour roux stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.
10. Add the meatballs to the sauce and meld the flavors on low for 10-15 minutes. Just make sure that the meatballs reached 160°F inside.