March 29, 2013

Karen's Sweet and Tangy Meatballs



I love meatloaf.  A slice of sweetly glazed meatloaf with piping hot mashed potatoes is the ultimate comfort food!  My friend Karen shared this recipe with me and it's the only one I will ever use.  My husband calls it "outstanding", which is a great compliment for something that was considered a "poor man's" dish decades ago.  It really is delicious with the sweet, tangy sauce.  I made several loaves of this for our Bible study friends the other night and a crock pot of meatballs to go along.  I tried out the meatloaf pan from USA PANS for the very first time and loved it!  It's basically like a bread pan with an insert that allows all the grease to drain through.  My kids were a great help in forming the meatballs-many hands make light work!  Although, I think they loved getting their hands dirty just as much as they loved the opportunity to cook with me!  :)

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup bread crumbs

Glaze:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the olive oil. Place in a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Mix well.  Form into 1" meatballs and place 1-inch apart on a rack in a broiler pan.  For a meatloaf, form into a loaf inside of a large bread pan or square baking dish.  Combine the glaze ingredients and pour over meatloaf before baking or over meatballs the last 10 minutes of baking. Bake at 350 for 1 to 1-1/2 hours for a loaf and about 35 minutes for meatballs.  A few notes- I did not have bread crumbs, so instead used finely crushed crackers.  I also forgot to saute the onion and garlic first, so just added it in and it was wonderful just the same.  Also, if you use a USA PAN for the loaf, their recipe included calls for 1-1/2 pounds of beef.  I used 2 pounds for a slightly higher loaf-just bake a little longer, as necessary.


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