Once I got started, I realized a few things. First, you have to plan for something like this; you can't just throw it together. Then I realized it takes about twice as long to cook when you're taking pictures too. And I also realized that my husband wasn't all that impressed with having to wait while I took a picture of the finished product. All that to say that I probably won't be doing doing this very often, but I will try to do it occasionally.
First, here are the ingredients you'll need for the meatballs:
1 pound of ground beef (I am cooking for just two this week; I normally double this recipe)
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon of onion powder (my husband doesn't like onions)
salt and pepper to taste
Mix these ingredients thoroughly. Shape into one-inch meatballs and place on a greased baking sheet. I used a 15x10" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Some people might prefer frying the meatballs, but I like to bake them because of the mess frying makes. Here they are, ready to go into the oven.
While the meatballs bake, make your gravy. I use these ingredients:
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups of boiling water
1 Tablespoon of beef bouillon powder
Before you do anything else, boil your water and make your bouillon; simply stir the bouillon powder into the water till it's dissolved. Now you can begin the gravy. Melt the butter till it begins to bubble. Stir in the flour with a whisk, and continue whisking to keep lumps from forming. This is a fast-moving operation, so don't go and do something else . . . like get your camera! ;) Stay there with it.
Once the butter and flour are thick and bubbly and very lightly browned, stir in the bouillon you made above. Keep stirring, allowing this mixture to come to a boil, and let it boil for about 2 minutes or so. It won't take long to boil, because you used boiling water to make the bouillon.
You now have gravy!
Your meatballs will be done soon; then you can put them in the gravy and serve them over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
3 comments:
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!
I can't believe how easy this is. And I can't believe how dark your bullion is.... I must have some really cheap stuff and didn't realize it. I'm going to have to 'invest' in the good stuff next time.
I'll be making these next week for sure!
Pam - you're welcome! I enjoyed doing it. To make your gravy more brown, you might try browning your butter/flour mixture just a touch more, not enough to scorch it, but enough to give it a deeper color. Also, I use a teaspoon more of the bouillon powder than the bottle calls for. It says 1 teaspoon per cup of water, but I use a tablespoon in 2 cups, which I think gives it a richer flavor and maybe adds a darker color. Hope yours turns out good!
Your meatballs look a lot like mine...but my mom's recipe calls for nutmeg added to the meat...and eggs and flour too but that might just have been to 'stretch' the meat for our large family!
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