Sauerbraten meatballs, buttered spätzle, and maple glazed carrots.
Our presence on social media for our business was practically non-existent this year until a month ago. Depression makes you do many things, like not wanting or caring to do anything. This was me.
When I finally pulled my head out of my ass, I apologized to our followers on Facebook and Instagram for the lack of posts. Then, I got posting like I used to. People love it when we post things on our pages.
Whenever we speak to customers, especially during Oktoberfest season or around the holidays, they tell us how much they love sauerbraten but don’t want to make it.
We tell our customers about sauerbraten meatballs and suggest looking online for a recipe because there are tons of them. What a lame thing to do as a cook and recipe writer. There is no excuse except laziness or lack of motivation on my part. Boo.
Traditional sauerbraten takes three days or so to marinate a beef roast in red wine, vinegar, and spices. Then, it is braised for hours. Finally, a gravy is made.
My recipe for sauerbraten meatballs takes about an hour from start to finish. Now, whenever you have a hankering for sauerbraten, you can make it that same day without all the muss and fuss.
We first heard about sauerbraten meatballs about three years ago. I searched a ton of sauerbraten meatball recipes and didn’t like them. Notice how this always happens?
The problem is that home cooks sometimes write the recipes, and other bloggers copy and paste the same recipe using the same photos. Oh, how I despise that.
I read some recipes from Betty Crocker and other trustworthy sites and combined a little of this and a little of that. I made the meatballs, and they were meh at best.
I decided to try again just in time for Oktoberfest. This time, I went to an authentic sauerbraten recipe and remembered the red wine in the marinade. I have a great palate and the ability to duplicate recipes by taste. That’s how I came up with my sauerbraten meatballs on Saturday.
I tested my recipe and made minor tweaks. I knew exactly what I wanted them to taste like, and finally, I was satisfied. We had them for dinner that night, and they were right on the money and delicious.
My meatballs had the flavor of real sauerbraten, unlike the other recipes that were more like sweet and sour meatballs with a hint of spices.
I typed up my recipe and emailed it to Marty with a photo. He will print and laminate a copy for our farmers market table and put it on our website.
I have a few delicious original Oktoberfest recipes I will share with our customers over the next couple of weeks. I am super inspired to write recipes for our business again, even if they aren’t spätzle recipes but sides and mains.
Next up, my red cabbage recipe, which I served to a bunch of Germans from Germany at an LGB train meet at our house. I’ll tell you about it next week.
Below is my recipe for sauerbraten meatballs in case anyone wants to make them this fall or over the holidays, which is another popular time for people to have sauerbraten.
Guten Appetite! 🇩🇪
Sauerbraten Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs ground beef or meatloaf mix
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp oil
Gravy
1/4 cup flour or 2 Tbsp potato starch
2 cups beef broth or stock
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 red wine
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3/4 Tbsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp black pepper
Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly with your hands. Shape into small meatballs.
Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet or nonstick pan. Add a few meatballs at a time to the hot pan. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides and remove them from the pan.
After removing the meatballs from the pan, sprinkle flour or potato starch over the drippings. Whisk flour or potato starch into the pan drippings, creating a roux. Add a tbsp of butter or canola oil if there aren’t enough pan drippings to make a roux.
Add the beef broth, apple cider vinegar, and red wine to a large measuring cup or bowl. Stir to combine. Whisk the ground ginger, cloves, and allspice into the roux. Cook until the roux is bubbling.
Whisking briskly, add the beef broth, apple cider vinegar, and red wine mixture to the roux. Whisk until smooth, getting rid of any lumps.
Add the brown sugar, black pepper, and bay leaf. Cook until the gravy thickens. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding kosher salt & pepper to taste. Use water or beef broth if the gravy is too thick, 1 Tbsp at a time.
Add the meatballs to the gravy and stir to coat the meatballs thoroughly. On low heat, cook the meatballs for 30 minutes in the gravy, stirring often and gently. Add water or beef broth 1 Tbsp at a time if the gravy becomes too thick.
Remove from pan. Serve with buttered spätzle, noodles, or mashed potatoes.
Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
*** please note in gravy it is 3/4 Tbsp not cup. I edited the recipe. Thanks Dianne. 🤦🏻♀️
Is 3/4 cup ground ginger a misprint?