I’ve been following a young woman, Tieghan Gerard, who has a blog called Half-Baked Harvest. Check out her website–so many delicious recipes. I’ve made a lot of her food, which are all easy and super rich in flavor . . . did I mention EASY? This is one of my favorites with a few of my own tweaks for my own taste. This is home-y, delicious, comforting, and good enough for company.

Ingredients

(as always, a small t. means a teaspoon, and a large T. means a tablespoon)

1 1/4 lbs of ground meat of your choice — turkey, chicken, beef. . . I tend to always make this ground chicken thighs or with 80/20 ground beef. Turkey and light chicken just doesn’t really carry any flavor for me.

1 egg

1 cup panko crumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan

kosher salt and ground black pepper, and I ALWAYS add a large pinch of Aleppo pepper for its warmth, plus the dark red flakes make the meatballs look more . . . well . . . interesting. More chef-y!

2 or 3 slices of thick sliced bacon (I’m an applewood bacon girl). You can always dress it up with pancetta as an alternative.

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves of minced or grated garlic)

4 carrots, chopped — I like to SEE them in the sauce, so I tend to chop them into 1/2 ” cubes

2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 T. tomato paste

1 1/2 cups of a yummy red wine. Choose something you like to drink — for me, it’s a pinot noir, cab, or zinfandel

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves (never sure what exactly bay leaves add to a dish)

4 thyme springs

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Mashed potatoes of your choice — browned butter mashers recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Add the ground meat, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs), placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp and cooked through.

3. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and reserve. If there’s excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. To the skillet, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Stir in the garlic, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelizing on the edges. Add the tomato paste. Cook 1 minute.

4. Add in the red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a slow boil, cook 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the meatballs, cover and cook 5 minutes until the meatballs are coated in the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and thyme and discard. Stir in the parsley and reserved bacon. Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes.