Originally published on January 9, 2015
I’ve had a lot of luck lately, choosing to fly by the seat of my pants in the kitchen rather than follow a recipe. Last night, I pulled out a pound of ground beef from my fridge and thought I’d turn it into meatballs that were similar to Meatloaf with Bacon Gravy. While I did include bacon and onions, the resulting dish was something different entirely. That might be because I took suggestions from my girls as I went along, turning the original thought of rice to buttered noodles (thanks, Paige!) and topping everything with fried onions, as per Maddie’s request. Everything ended up working really together, just like me and my girls.
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1 pound medium ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 onion, diced very finely
2 slices of bacon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
For the mustard cream sauce:
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 slices bacon, cooked very crisp and crumbled
2 tablespoons of your favourite mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt
Pepper
For the noodles:
1/2 pound of any pasta you’d like (I chose spaghetti broken in half for the slurp factor)
1/2 cup butter
Salt
For the fried onions:
1 onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need it to keep the meatballs warm while preparing the rest of the meal on your stovetop.
2.) Start by preparing the meatballs. Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot add the two slices of bacon and lightly cook for about 5 minutes, turning once. You want the bacon to be slightly cooked, but not crisp. The fat content will help keep your meatballs moist. Remove bacon from skillet and set aside. Into the hot pan add the finely diced onion. Stir them around in the bacon fat, cook for about 2 minutes until soft, and then set aside with the bacon. Allow ingredients to cool and turn pan off while preparing the rest of the meatballs.
3.) In a large bowl place the ground beef, cooked onion and bacon, bread crumbs, milk, egg, garlic powder, paprika, dill, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together very thoroughly. I know there’s a lot of fuss about not over-mixing your meat but I find that if you use enough ingredients to keep it moist (slightly cooked bacon, milk) you don’t need to worry about this and that thoroughly mixing them can actually be very beneficial.
4.) Form the meat into two-inch balls and roll lightly in your hands, setting them aside on a plate as you do.
5.) Heat the cast iron skillet over medium heat and when hot, place meatballs into the bacon fat. Cook for about 5 minutes to develop a nice sear, then turn over and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Repeat this process with all sides of the meatballs. When they are finished cooking, transfer them to a casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil, and transfer them to the oven.
6.) While meatballs are cooking, make the fried onions. Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, turn them in the fat, and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes, until they are completely softened and carmalized. Remove from heat, place in a round casserole dish, and place in the oven to keep warm with the meatballs. Don’t worry about overcooking them; the oven is just warm enough to keep everything hot, but not cooked.
7.) Once the meatballs have been transferred to the oven, keep the heat under the skillet turned to medium. Add the other diced half onion and turn in the fat to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes until just softened, then add the white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and allow the wine to boil for 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and a pinch of salt and stir everything together.
8.) Add 2 cups of water to the skillet, along with the honey, and whisk everything together. Bring to a boil then lower heat and gently simmer. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the cornstarch and whisk together until smooth. Add this cornstarch mixture to the skillet and whisk again to fully incorporate. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Turn heat to low, add the heavy cream and once again whisk to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary.
9.) While the sauce is cooking, make the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil then add pasta, stir, and cook for about 8 minutes, until just al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add the butter, cover to let the butter melt, then stir everything together.
10.) Remove the meatballs and fried onions from the oven and plate. Divide buttered noodles among four plates and top with meatballs. Spoon the sauce generously over the meatballs and top with fried onions.
11.) Serve and enjoy!