Thanksgiving Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs with Cranberry Orange Relish

Thanksgiving Meatballs with Cranberry Orange Relish

Serves 4-6

For the Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey (at least 15% fat content if possible)*

1 box stove-top stuffing, turkey flavor

1 shallot, finely diced

¼ cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken stock (more or less as needed)

1 egg, beaten

2-3 twigs of fresh thyme leaves

1 T Worcestershire sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425F.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add more stock if needed to moisten mixture. It should be the texture of wet sand and form into balls easily by hand. If mixture gets too moist, add more stuffing or breadcrumbs. Form into golf ball sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425F for 20 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Remove from oven and set aside. It is OK if meatballs are not cooked through yet.

For the Gravy

4 T unsalted butter

¼ cup AP flour

3 cups chicken or turkey stock

2-3 sprigs thyme, whole

1/3 cup heavy cream

Add flour and butter to a sauce pot or pan over medium heat. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes or until flour and butter mixture smells nutty. Add in the thyme and stock and whisk. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the cream and stir. Add the meatballs and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and gravy is thickened to your liking. It will not be very thick as written here. Discard thyme stems before serving.

For the Cranberry Orange Relish

1 package fresh cranberries (12 oz)

1 cup pulp-free orange juice

½ t ground cinnamon

¼ t ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

½ cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Add all ingredients to a sauce pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook and stir occasionally for 15 minutes or until cranberries are softened and bursting. Using a spatula or other tool, crush the berries to thicken the sauce.

This relish will be thick and tart. Add more orange juice or sugar for a less thick or sweeter relish.

To plate, we highly recommend laying down some warm mashed potatoes (leftover or freshly made), laying down a few meatballs and drizzling everything with gravy. Spoon the relish over top and garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

*To make this using leftover, cooked turkey and dressing, finely chop the leftover turkey and mix everything as described above. Cook as described above although the meatballs will not need nearly as long to cook in the gravy to be done. This recipe is written to be flexible and allow for many variations in preference on using raw turkey, leftovers, relish thickness and sweetness, etc. Make it your own!