Meatballs and Gravy

I think of meatballs, gravy  and mashed potatoes as basic American, comfort food.  There's nothing fancy about this dish, but it is delicious.  It is also fairly inexpensive, especially if you can find the meat on sale, and it freezes well.  It doesn't have to be served with just mashed potatoes though.  We had it with mashed cauliflower which was just as tasty.

Adapted from: Jo Cooks
Difficulty: Moderate
Category: Simple Side
Recipe Column: CO

Serves 8

Meatballs
3/4 lbs ground beef
3/4 lbs ground pork
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder

Gravy
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour
2.5 cups beef stock

1. Combine all the meatball ingredients.  Shape the meatballs and place them on a sheet tray.  Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees until bake through, about 25 minutes.
2. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook for a minute or two.
4. Gradually stir in the beef stock, stirring constantly.  Allow the gravy to simmer until the flour taste is cooked out and it has thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the cooked meatballs and scrap any drippings from the pan into the gravy.

To freeze:

Cool the meatballs and gravy, divide into containers or bags and freeze.

To serve:

Thaw the meatballs and gravy in the refrigerator overnight.  Reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees.  You may need to add a little water or stock to loosen the gravy.  Serve with mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes from the freezer or microwave mashed potatoes and a vegetable side. We had green beans.  If you don't have some mashed potatoes or cauliflower on hand, you could bake a potato in the microwave for an easy starch to serve this with.