holly's honkin' deerballs and tomato sauce
I use deer-meat for almost every dish that I cook. This "deerball" recipe is easy to make, and healthy! You can, of course, substitute hamburger or even ground turkey for the deer meat!
prep time
20 Min
cook time
45 Min
method
Bake
yield
4-6 serving(s)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds deer meat (you can substitute hamburger or ground turkey)
- 1/2 - onion, diced
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs, seasoned
- 1 teaspoon garlic, diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano, fresh
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
How To Make holly's honkin' deerballs and tomato sauce
-
Step 1Add the diced onion, garlic and remaining ingredients in a large bowl with your ground meat (my recipe for homemade breadcrumbs is below). If you are using deer meat, I recommend adding approximately 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the mixture (no needed if you are using store bought hamburger). Deer meat is so lean, you must add some type of oil to keep the meat from being too dry when cooking it.
-
Step 2Form the meat mixture into medium to large sized balls and place on a non-stick baking pan. If you like to make extra large deerballs (as shown in my picture), increase your cook time by 15 minutes or so. I spray a layer of olive oil spray on the pan prior to baking in order to keep them from sticking to the pan.
-
Step 3Place in a 425 degree pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes, turning the deerballs over after about 15-20 minutes, then turn again after approximately 30 minutes in order to brown each side. The deerballs are done when they are brown and crispy.
-
Step 4We love them served with a mushroom and tomato sauce and fettuccine pasta. They are also delicious on sub buns with some tomato sauce, provolone and Parmesan cheese!
-
Step 5SEASONED BREAD CRUMBS: I love to make my own breadcrumb mixture. I typically use whatever crackers and croutons I have in the pantry, however I've found the best mixture for the deerball recipe is as follows; 1/2 cup Cheese and Garlic croutons, 8-10 ritz crackers, sprinkle some garlic salt, pepper and table salt in a ziplock bag, then beat the mixture to fine crumbs with the smooth side of a meat mallet.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
Comment & Reviews
ADVERTISEMENT
Just A Pinch Sweepstakes