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Ingredients

  • 10 slices smoky, meaty bacon
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 shallots
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling (about 2 tablespoons for tomatoes and 2 for meatballs)
  • Coarse black pepper and kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons thyme
  • 1½ pounds ground beef sirloin
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 large cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup whole wheat panko, moistened with about 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 egg plus 1 yolk, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup smoked blue cheese crumbles or blue cheese
  • 6 large English muffins (Rach recommends Model Bakery or, for a grocery store brand, Bay’s)
  • Bacon jam
  • Watercress or baby arugula

Yield

Serves: 6

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Bake bacon on slotted pan or wire rack-lined baking sheet to very crisp and well browned, then cool and finely chop.


Arrange tomatoes on baking sheet. Finely chop a shallot and combine with tomatoes, then dress with EVOO, salt, pepper and thyme, and roast 30 minutes to slumped and browned at edges.

Place beef in bowl and grate remaining shallot into meat, season liberally with salt and coarse black pepper, then add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parsley, moistened panko, eggs, blue cheese and a fat drizzle of EVOO. Roll 2-inch meatballs with scoop and arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake to golden and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Toast English muffins. Spread bottom of muffin with bacon jam and top with meatballs, then greens and tomatoes. Set muffin top in place.