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According to Rach, this recipe is based on an English dish. Classic red currant (sometimes written redcurrant) sauce, or jelly, is a tangy condiment traditionally served with meat, poultry or fish. Here, Rach plays with it, starting with store-bought red currant jelly and adding shallots, garlic, sherry, Worcestershire, mustard, beef stock and citrus zest. She calls the super-flavorful result a kind of "glazy gravy" and serves it with meatballs and these Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. (If you make the potatoes first, you can keep them warm in a bain marie: set the covered pot in gently simmering water in a larger skillet.) A refreshing Cucumber-Dill Salad would be a great addition, too. 

Pro Tip from Rach: Freezing the bacon for a few minutes makes it easier to chop.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:
  • 4 meaty pieces of bacon, finely chopped or minced
  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef 80%
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ pound ground pork or pork sausage
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (panko or homemade), toasted
  • 8 leaves sage, thinly sliced or chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
  • 1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons grated onion or shallot
  • 2 large cloves garlic, grated or chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • EVOO spray
For the Red Currant Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons EVOO
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
  • Salt and fine black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups dry sherry
  • About ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • About 2 tablespoons prepared yellow English mustard or 2 teaspoons Coleman's dry hot English mustard
  • 2 cups beef brodo or stock or consomme
  • 1 cup red currant jelly
  • 2 teaspoons blood orange zest or lemon zest

Yield

Serves: 4 to 6

Preparation

For the meatballs, heat the oven to 400°F, with rack at center. 

To a large bowl, add and combine bacon, beef seasoned with salt and pepper, pork or pork sausage, breadcrumbs, herbs, egg, onion, garlic and nutmeg. Roll into 1 ½-inch balls, arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet and spray lightly with oil. Roast about 18 minutes, then add to sauce (see below).

For the sauce, heat butter and EVOO in saucepot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and soften a couple minutes. Add sherry and reduce by half, 7 to 8 minutes. Add Worcestershire, mustard and brodo and reduce to about ¾ to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Stir in jelly and zest, then strain or pass through a sieve.

Place meatballs in bowl or serving dish. Brush with sauce and pass remainder at table. Puddle up some mashed potatoes on plate or in shallow bowl and make a well. Add meatballs and pass sauce.