Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs

For the Meatballs
2 tsp Vegetable Oil
3 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1/2 Onion, small - finely chopped (about 1/4 Cup)
1/2 C Bread Crumbs
1/4 C Milk
1 lb Ground Beef, lean
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt

For the Sauce
1/2 C Water
1/3 C Sugar
1/4 C Ketchup
1/4 C Cider Vinegar
1 Tbs Soy Sauce or Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 C Cold Water
2 Tbs Cornstarch

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. In a small skillet, heat the 2 tsp. oil over low heat. Add onion; sauté until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer sautéed onion to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, soak bread crumbs in milk until softened. Add bread crumb mixture, beef, egg and salt to sautéed onion; using your hands, knead the mixture until throroughly blended and no longer crumbly.

Form the mixture into uniform balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter Place the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs oil over medium-high heat. Add 10 - 12 meatballs to the skillet; cook meatballs, stirrin giwth a spatula and shaking the pan frequently, until well browned, about 5 minutes.

Transfer cooked meatballs to a plate. Continue to cook remaining meatballs in batches, adding more oil to the skillet if necessary.

Discard oil from pan. Reduce heat to medium; add water, sugar, ketchup, vinegar and soy sauce to pan, stirring to blend. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until simmering, about 5 minutes.

In a small cup, mix cold water and cornstarch until well blended. Add cornstarch mixture to sauce; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes.

Return meatballs to pan; simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes. Serve meatballs as an appetizer, side dish, or main dish with white rice.

Serves 6


Comments: For the dinner party, I cheated a little bit. I bought pre-made meatballs and sweet-n-sour sauce, and put them in a slow-cooker started earlier in the day. However, I have made the above recipe and it turned out really well. To keep the meatballs from getting flat on one side or another, use a spatula to gently roll the balls in the skillet while they are browning.