Raspberry Chipotle Roasted Meatballs

I served these recently at a private event at The Quail & Olive. This is my go-to process for making meatballs and you can use whatever barbeque sauce you have on-hand. But these were made with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce that Anni has in her shop.

Ingredients

makes approximately 18 to 20 meatballs, depending on the size

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic

• ½ cup bread crumbs (I used a gluten-free panko, but use whatever you have)

• 3 Tablespoons milk or cream

• 1 egg

• 1 Tablespoon Raspberry Chipotle BBQ from The Quail & Olive (or whatever barbeque sauce you have) plus more for serving

• 1 teaspoon ground sumac plus more for sprinkling on top

• Roasted Garlic Olive Oil for drizzling

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, place the breadcrumb at the bottom and pour in the milk or cream. Let stand for a few minutes before adding in all of the other ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or clean hands to blend ingredients until well-combined. Roll walnut-sized meatballs and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac.

Bake meatballs at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes or until done. They should be firm to the touch when they are done. If you aren’t sure, you can slice open one of the meatballs. They should not be pink in the center at all.

To serve, roll the cooked meatballs in the barbeque sauce. This can be served warm or at room temperature. And you can have them swimming in the sauce or just barely coated. It's totally up to you!