This recipe is all the pieces you like about French onion soup however with meatballs! Creamy caramelized onion gravy surrounds tender elk meatballs, topped on a bit of tacky sourdough toast. What’s to not love?

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Why This Recipe Works:

This recipe makes use of basic French onion soup flavors: caramelized onions, thyme, sherry, selfmade inventory, gruyere cheese, and extra. The gravy is sort of a thickened model of the basic soup and is full of taste. The elk meatballs have a touch of French onion soup taste with thyme and gruyere cheese.

The meatballs come along with the gravy as a scrumptious topper for toasted sourdough with gooey melted gruyere cheese. It is a implausible wild sport twist on a basic recipe!

Ingredient Notes:

elk french onion meatball ingredients with labels.
  • Floor Elk: Any floor meat will work rather than the elk. Venison, moose, antelope, beef, turkey, and many others. will all work!
  • Sourdough Bread: If you do not have sourdough, you need to use any bread that may maintain as much as melted cheese and gravy like a baguette or different rustic loaf.
  • Gruyere Cheese: A number of cheese alternate options can be utilized rather than the gruyere. Jarslberg, emmentaler, gouda, or common previous Swiss cheese will work.

Gear Notes:

  • Forged Iron Skillet: Forged iron pans work nice for caramelizing onions as a result of they evenly distribute the warmth properly. This recipe requires a deep 12″ forged iron skillet to carry all the meatballs and gravy. It’s also possible to use an everyday deep skillet for this recipe.
butter melting in cast iron pan.

Step by Step Directions:

How To Make Elk Meatballs:

These elk meatballs are so tender and flavorful. The combination of milk and breadcrumbs gives moisture to the meatballs and retains them tender. The recent herbs, shallots, and gruyere cheese give them their scrumptious taste. Comply with the straightforward directions under!

glass bowl with meatball ingredients.
Add egg, milk, bread crumbs, and olive oil to a medium bowl.
stirring meatball ingredients with whisk.
Combine along with a whisk and let sit for five minutes.
stirring meatball ingredients in glass bowl with wire whisk.
Letting the combination sit permits the breadcrumbs to soak up the liquid and assist the meatballs stick collectively.
mixing meatball mixture with hands.
Add remaining elements (meat, herbs, spices, cheese, and many others.) and stir along with your arms till properly mixed.
scooping meatballs with cookie scoop.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out 24 parts of the meatball combination.
rolling meatball between hands.
Roll meatballs along with your arms. The combination can be mushy so roll them gently.
meatballs on parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
elk meatballs cooking in oven on pan.
Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes.

Professional Tip: In case your meatball combination is just too sticky to deal with, stick it within the fridge for half-hour earlier than rolling it into meatballs.

Methods to Make Caramelized Onion Gravy:

This caramelized onion gravy is sort of a thickened model of French onion soup. It is full of caramelized onion taste and scrumptious selfmade wild sport inventory. It does take a while to caramelize the onions, however it’s so definitely worth the effort!

butter melting in cast iron pan.
Soften butter in a forged iron skillet.
stirring onions in cast iron pan.
Add julienned onions, thyme, and garlic.
caramelized onions in cast iron pan.
Cook dinner for about 1 hour, stirring each 3-5 minutes or till the onions are mushy and golden brown. Preserve an in depth eye on them or they’ll burn.
caramelized onions with sherry in cast iron pan.
Add sherry to the pan and convey to a simmer. Simmer till onions have absorbed many of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
caramelized onions with flour in cast iron pan.
Add 1 tablespoon butter and let the butter soften into the onions. Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to coat.
caramelized onions with roux in cast iron pan.
Cook dinner for 2-3 minutes or till bubbly and browned.
caramelized onions with elk stock in cast iron pan.
Add inventory and half and half.
caramelized onion gravy in cast iron pan.
Carry to a simmer and cook dinner for 8-10 minutes or till thickened. Style and add salt and pepper.
meatballs in caramelized onion gravy.
As soon as the gravy is thickened and the meatballs are baked, place the meatballs into the pan with the gravy.
elk meatballs simmering in caramelized onion gravy.
Spoon the gravy over the meatballs and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Professional Tip: Chopping the onions from root to tip (as a substitute of slicing) helps maintain the fibers of the onion intact whenever you caramelize them. Sliced onions can flip into mush after lengthy cooking instances.

Placing it All Collectively:

Upon getting your meatballs and caramelized onion gravy, all that is left to do is broil some tacky bread and eat! You possibly can serve the meatballs on high of the bread or serve the bread on the facet for dipping. The flavors on this dish are fairly wealthy so one thing gentle like a easy inexperienced salad with selfmade honey mustard dressing pairs properly with this meal. Take pleasure in!

elk french onion meatballs on sourdough toasts.
elk french onion meatballs on bread with gruyere.

Recipe FAQ’s:


What do you set in meatballs so they do not disintegrate?

A mix of egg, milk, and breadcrumbs varieties a “glue” that helps bind the meat and different elements and retains meatballs from falling aside.

What’s the secret to creating tender meatballs?

Moisture from a combination of breadcrumbs and milk helps maintain meatballs tender. Dealing with the meat combination gently and never over-mixing may assist maintain the meatballs tender.

Is it higher to bake or pan-fry meatballs?

Baking meatballs leads to extra uniform cooking than pan-frying them. It additionally helps guarantee your meatballs do not disintegrate whereas they’re cooking as a result of you do not have to maneuver them round as a lot.

Different Recipes to Attempt:

For those who make this recipe, please go away a star score on the backside of the web page! This gives useful suggestions to me and fellow readers. And if you need extra scrumptious, wild sport recipes you’ll be able to subscribe to my e-newsletter and observe alongside on Instagram and Pinterest!

Recipe:

elk french onion meatballs on sourdough toasts.

Elk French Onion Meatballs

Annie Weisz

All the things you like about French onion soup however with meatballs! Creamy caramelized onion gravy surrounds tender elk meatballs, topped on a bit of tacky toast. What’s to not love?

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook dinner Time 1 hr 30 minutes

Course Important Course

Delicacies French

Servings 6 servings

Energy 821 kcal

Stop your display from going darkish

Directions 

Caramelized Onion Gravy:

  • Warmth forged iron skillet over medium-low warmth. Soften butter and swirl to coat the pan.

  • Add onions, garlic, and thyme to pan. Stir to coat in butter. Cook dinner for about 1 hour, stirring each 3-5 minutes or till onions are mushy and golden brown. Preserve an in depth eye on them or they’ll burn.

  • Add sherry to the pan and convey to a simmer. Simmer till onions have absorbed many of the liquid, about 10 minutes.

  • Add in 1 tablespoon butter and let the butter soften into the onions. Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to coat. Cook dinner for 2-3 minutes or till bubbly and browned.

  • Add inventory and half and half. Carry to a simmer and cook dinner for 8-10 minutes, or till thickened. Style and add salt and pepper.

Meatballs:

  • Whereas onions are caramelizing, make meatballs.

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  • To a medium bowl add egg, milk, bread crumbs, and olive oil. Combine along with a whisk. Let combination sit when you put together different elements (shallots, garlic, parsley, and many others.), about 5 minutes.

  • Add remaining meatball elements. Combine collectively along with your arms till properly mixed.

  • Roll combination into 24 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons every. Place on parchment paper-lined pan, evenly spaced. Bake for 15-20 minutes or till inner temperature reaches 165°F.

  • As soon as gravy is thickened and meatballs are baked, place the meatballs into the pan with the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the meatballs and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Serving:

  • Preheat broiler to low. High every bread slice with roughly ¼ cup grated cheese. Broil for 3-4 minutes or till cheese is bubbly and bread is evenly toasted.

  • High every slice of bread with 2 meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve and luxuriate in!

Notes

  • Chopping the onions from root to tip (as a substitute of slicing) helps maintain the fibers of the onion intact whenever you caramelize them. Sliced onions can flip into mush after lengthy cooking instances.
  • In case your meatball combination is just too sticky to deal with, stick it within the fridge for half-hour earlier than rolling it into meatballs.
  • Any floor meat will work rather than the elk. Venison, moose, antelope, beef, turkey, and many others. will all work!
  • If you do not have sourdough, you need to use any bread that may maintain as much as melted cheese and gravy like a baguette or different rustic loaf.
  • A number of cheese alternate options can be utilized rather than the gruyere. Jarslberg, emmentaler, gouda, or common previous Swiss cheese will work.

Diet

Energy: 821kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 46gFats: 42gSaturated Fats: 21gPolyunsaturated Fats: 3gMonounsaturated Fats: 14gTrans Fats: 0.4gLdl cholesterol: 163mgSodium: 1687mgPotassium: 797mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1636IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 658mgIron: 7mg

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