Mountain Meatballs

I served these monster meatballs at a party and they were gobbled up in seconds. The recipe comes from the pages of Jamie Oliver's cookbook, Jamie's America: Easy Twists on Great American Classics, and More. A hallmark of his cooking style, these half bison, half beef meatballs are bursting with flavor - the gooey cheese and thick, tangy sauce are lip-smacking good. You can also form them into smaller meatballs, half the size, or even a quarter, depending on how you want to serve them.

Mountain Meatballs
Adapted from Jamie’s America
Serves 8

For the Meatballs:
Olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and diced
pinch of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 ½ pounds good-quality ground beef or buffalo, or a combination of both           
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 handfuls of bread crumbs
2 large eggs
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese

For the Sauce:
1 large red onion, peeled and diced
2 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 to 2 fresh red chiles, seeded and minced
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup molasses or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoons Dijon
1 2/3 cup brewed coffee
3 plum tomatoes, quartered
Small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat oven to 500° F. Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add diced onions and cook for about 10 minutes, or until softened; remove from heat and let cool completely. Bash up cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Place ground seeds in a large bowl with ground meat, Dijon, oregano, bread crumbs, eggs, a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper, and the cooled onions. Using clean hands, gently scrunch everything together until blended, but don’t overwork the mixture. Divide the mixture into 8 patties.

One at a time, shape each patty into a baseball-sized ball. Stick your thumb deep into the ball to make a pocket and stuff with a good pinch of grated cheese. Cup and repack the meat to cover the cheese and reshape into a ball. Place meatballs in a well-oiled Dutch oven or roasting pan and place in the oven for 25-30, or until browned and sizzling.

While meatballs cook, begin the chile sauce. Wipe out the pan you cooked your onions in and return to medium heat with another glug of olive oil. Add onion, pepper, garlic, fresh chiles, and paprika; fry gently for about 15 minutes. Add Worcestershire, ketchup, vinegar, molasses, mustard, coffee, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Reduce even longer if you prefer a thicker sauce.

When meatballs have cooked for 25 minutes, remove from oven and gently loosen meatballs from pan (this will make serving easier later); add chile sauce to pan and return to oven for about 5 minutes, or until sauce is hot and bubbling. Garnish meatballs with finely chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes and green salad.

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