Venison takes all shapes and sizes – just like the racks they come from. There’s the flat and jagged jerky. There’s the cylindrical sticks and brats. There’s beautiful butterflies of backstraps and tenderloins. There’s the hearts that some of the hardcore folk love. But what about ball shaped?
No, this isn’t Rocky Mountain Oysters. Rather, it’s for another type of meat-ball: the Italian meatball. Even my buddy who vehemently snarls his nose at the V-word “venison” couldn’t deny this. So if you have some extra venison burger in the freezer, give this a shot.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
– 1 lb. venison burger
– 1 lb. ground pork
– 1 cup Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs
– ¾ cup milk (warmed)
– ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
– 1 large egg
– 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
– 1 clove minced garlic
– 1 ½ teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
– ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
– Olive oil
– Canola oil
– Optional: Crushed Red Pepper (for spicy meatballs)
Sauce:
– Your favorite spaghetti / marinara sauce
Bread:
– Frozen Texas Toast
Recipe
Combine, with your hands, venison burger, ground pork, bread crumbs, milk (warmed), parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and the optional red pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Using your hands, form 2 inch meatballs (yield will be around 13–16 meatballs).
In a 12-inch skillet combine equal parts of olive oil and canola oil until there’s a ¼-inch depth. Heat skillet to medium-low. Place meatballs in oil – keeping mind to not crowd the skillet (small batches are best). Carefully turn meatballs with a spatula or tongs and brown them on all sides (each batch should take around 10 minutes). Place browned meatballs on a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil and lightly wipe skillet with a paper towel (ensuring a thin layer of oil and any residual crumbs that may have broken off from the meatballs remain).
Add sauce to skillet to heat up (approximately 3–5 minutes). Add meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on low for 25–30 minutes until the meatballs have cooked through.
While the meatballs are simmering in the sauce, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place Texas Toast slices in the oven when there’s about 6 minutes left for the meatballs simmering in the sauce. Heat the Texas Toast for 6 minutes (flipping once) and remove from oven.
Plate meatballs on the toast. Garnish with parmesan, parsley, and red pepper. Cheers with your favorite Cab or Red Ale.