It's game day. Broncos play the Seahawks in the Superbowl tonight, and if I've being honest, I don't care that much about the game. I love football, but I have zero connection to either team. Other than the fact that I worked out with Eli Manning once. Well, Eli and I were in the same small workout room at Seaside one year. That totally counts. So if that's a connection to Peyton Manning, then Go Broncos!
Actually, I take that back. I care about the Superbowl because I care about food. And tonight there will be a smorgasbord of tasty treats at the Mason's house, our generous hosts for our Superbowl party. I put a lot of thought into what to bring (okay, probably too much thought), and I decided on meatballs. Random, I know. But these meatballs and this sauce are So. Darn. Good.
I got the base recipe from the blog PaleOMG. I have tried several of her recipes, and they are all really good. I used two different kinds of meat, added some extra spice, changed up the sauce a bit and essentially doubled the recipe since I needed a lot of meatballs. You could easily split this recipe for a more normal-sized portion. :) Below is how I made these really delicious meatballs. I kept taste testing one after another to make sure "the seasoning was right." I was full before the party....
Bacon Meatballs with Mango Honey Mustard Sauce
You will need:
For the meatballs
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
9 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup almond meal
2 eggs, whisked
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped frozen mango, thawed
3 tablespoons ground mustard (in the jar)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
dash chili powder
salt to taste
How to make it:
For the meatballs
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Put a large skillet over medium heat and add your diced bacon to it. Once the bacon has rendered some fat in the pan, add your onions. Stir often to keep the onions and bacon from burning. Once bacon is cooked through, move the bacon and onion mixture to a plate with a paper towel to cool and soak up some excess fat.
Meanwhile, add your ground beef and ground lamb to a large bowl. Then add your cooled bacon and onions, along with egg, almond flour, and seasonings. Use your hands to mix it all thoroughly, but try not to over mix. Using a small cookie scoop, measure out small meatballs and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Once the cookie sheet is full, roll each meatball into a tight ball.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the parchment paper immediately and place on a plate with a paper towel to cool.
For the sauce
Add your thawed mango to a food processor and puree until smooth.
Add the ground mustard, Dijon mustard, honey and spices and puree until combined.
Taste the sauce and add more honey if you like it sweeter or more mustard if you want it spicier. Add salt to taste and puree one last time until completely smooth.
