Venison Meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 500g venison mince
• 1 large shallot
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Seeded mustard
• 1 tspn Dijon mustard
• 5 tbsp bread crumbs
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• cracked pepper

For the sauce

• 7-8 vine ripened tomatoes
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 shallot
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup white wine (pinot gris)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tspn chilli flakes
• 1 cup of water

Method

First of all finely dice the shallot and the fresh rosemary sprigs.

In a large mixing bowl add the egg, Worcestershire sauce, seeded mustard, Dijon mustard, diced shallot and rosemary, grind in a liberal amount of freshly cracked pepper.

Mix in with a whisk to incorporate the flavours together.

Put the mince in the bowl then with a clean pair of hands massage the mince into the herbs, spices and egg. Once combined to a smooth consistency, add the bread crumbs and repeat this action.

Now it is time to roll, take a generous amount of meat in the palm of your hand and roll in a circular motion until you have a nice meatball.

Place on an oiled baking tray and repeat this until the mixture is finished.

Put in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

To cook take a heavy based skillet or non-stick pan to a high to medium heat, season the bottom of the pan with salt to avoid sticking and create a flavoursome crust.

Add a moderate amount of cooking oil about 50mls then place your balls one by one into the hot pan, season the top with salt.

Make sure you establish good dark colour before turning. Once coloured on all sides take out of the pan and place into an oven tray,

Pour the tomato sauce over the top of the meatballs and place in the oven on a low temperature about 100 degrees for 10 minutes.

Tip: I like to roll my meatballs quite large so they stay nice and juicy in the centre.