By Chef Alli
Maple-Glazed Breakfast Meatballs
Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup very finely minced red-skinned cooking apple
2 tsp. snipped fresh sage
3/4 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. ground pork (not sausage)
1/4 cup apple jelly
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Fresh sage, for garnish
Sea salt, if desired
Instructions
This recipe came from my friends, Craig and Amy Good of Good Farms in Olsburg. Amy served these meatballs when I toured their farm a few years back as part of a Kansas Farm Bureau influencer tour. These meatballs are unforgettable, so I emailed Amy right away, hoping she would share her recipe, which she did, telling me the recipe originated from an issue of Midwest Living magazine.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 15” x 10” x 1” baking sheet with foil; coat with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg lightly; stir in oats, apple, sage, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Add pork; gently mix until combined.
Shape mixture into 40 one-inch meatballs. Place meatballs ½-inch apart on prepared baking sheet. At this point, meatballs can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to four hours or frozen for later use. Bake meatballs on the center rack of oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat jelly and maple syrup over medium-low heat, whisking until jelly is melted and mixture is smooth. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the jelly mixture over the baked meatballs, lightly toss to coat, then bake meatballs two minutes longer.
Transfer meatballs to a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining jelly mixture. Garnish with fresh sage and sprinkle with a small amount of coarse sea salt if desired.
