Mini Bacon Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

How many ways can you make meatballs?  Unlimited, as far as I can tell!  I wanted to try this recipe... because of the bacon. Then I thought about adding a sauce, and let's face it, bacon and mushroom are like Romeo and Juliet - they belong together.

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground beef sirloin
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook bacon over medium-high heat until starting to brown, about 4 minutes.  Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet.  Saute onions in skillet in reserved drippings over medium heat until softened.  Add garlic to skillet and cook 1 minute.  Deglaze with red wine.

Combine beef, pork, bacon, onion, and salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Stir in beaten eggs.  Form mixture into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake meatballs until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

For sauce:
Any type of mushrooms can be used to make this sauce.  The mushrooms can be chopped, sliced or cut into chunks, depending on preference.

Ingredients
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp beef broth
2 oz butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat oil and melt butter into it.  Add mushrooms and sauté until soft.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Add flour, broth and cream.  Mix together, stirring continuously.  Return pan to medium heat and stir constantly until it thickens.  Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 - 8 minutes.

Tips:  These meatballs can be frozen uncooked for up to a year.  For this particular recipe, I squeezed a bit of mushroom sauce onto each toothpick skewered meatball and placed them on a serving platter.  They disappeared like government employees.  Enjoy!