I’ve been making Smoky Beef Meatballs in a Creamy Cider Sauce for many decades. Each time I make this it is like greeting an old friend! The sweetness of the caramelized onions works so well with the richness of the meat and the sauce. The smokiness from the paprika lifts everything wonderfully. A great dish for entertaining that is always a crowd-pleaser. Ideal for folk to dive into at the table. Oven-baking the shaped meatballs balls is much quicker and easier than frying in batches. It also means you can get on with other things while they cook. You can even make Smoky Beef Meatballs in a Creamy Cider Sauce a day or two in advance and simply reheat before serving with rice, couscous or a refreshing green salad.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- •500 grams (18 ounces) beef mince (ground beef)*
- •1 large onion, peeled and chopped fairly small
- •2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- •2 medium eggs
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) smoked paprika
- •30-45 ml (2-3 tablespoons) finely chopped parsley
- •5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
- •A few grinds of black pepper
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- •1 large onion, peeled and sliced
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) smoked paprika
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) English mustard
- •5 fat cloves of garlic, kept in their skins for roasting
- •250 grams (about 1 cup) passata (tomato purée)
- •300 ml (1.3 cups) apple cider
- •1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
- •Salt and pepper, to taste
- •About 150 ml crème fraîche or sour cream
*Don’t use mince that is too lean or the meatballs will be too dry: aim for 10-15% fat content which ensures the meatballs are deliciously moist. You can also use a mixture of beef and pork if you prefer.
Preparation
- For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Cook gently until the onions caramelise, stirring from time to time, about 45 minutes.
Put the onions and the rest of the meatball ingredients into a bowl and use your hands to mix everything together. With wet hands, take about 15 ml (1 tablespoon) at a time and shape into balls, squeezing tightly so they hold their shape. Place the meatballs a little apart onto the baking trays, along with the unpeeled garlic cloves, and place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 160°C fan (325°F). While the meatballs are in the oven, make the sauce.
3. For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over a medium-low heat and add the onions. Fry gently for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time so that the onions take on a golden-brown colour and become very soft, but be careful not to let them burn. You can add a splash of water if needed. Stir in the smoked paprika and cook for a further few minutes, before adding the mustard and stirring it through the onions. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, except the crème fraiche, and with the heat on medium and the lid off, bring it all to a simmer.
With the heat on medium and keeping the lid off, let it continue to simmer for about 30 minutes for the liquid to reduce to about half its original volume. You can turn the heat to low if needed. Add the cooked meatballs and give them a gentle stir through the sauce so as not to break them up. Put the lid on and place them in the oven for about 30 more minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche just before serving.
Top tips:
You can leave this for a few hours or overnight, which will let the flavors develop a little bit more – or you can just go straight into the shaping.
Sometimes oak-smoke the mince gently in a hob-top smoker for about 15 minutes to add an extra depth of smoky flavour, but a couple of teaspoons of liquid smoke mixed with the mince can give a lovely flavor – although these are not essential.