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Rootitoot Meatballs with Fresh Mint and Basil
Ingredients
| 1 lb | 455 g | ground beef |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | grated onion |
| 3 cloves | | minced garlic, divided |
| 1 | | egg yolk |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | Panko or cracker crumbs |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | finely chopped fresh basil, divided |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | finely chopped fresh mint, divided |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt |
| 0.25 tsp | 1.3 ml | pepper |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | oil |
| 0.75 cup | 180 ml | beef or chicken broth |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | vinegar |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | sugar |
| 1 can (14 oz) | | canned tomato sauce |
Instructions
- Whisk together the grated onion, 2/3 of the minced garlic, egg yolk, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, 2/3 of the basil and 2/3 of the mint, salt and pepper. Add the ground beef and gently combine without mashing it to a pulp. Form into 1 1/2" balls.
- Hit Saute on the Instant Pot and add the oil. Swirl it around and when it's hot, add the meatballs. Brown well on 3 or 4 sides - not just grey, brown. Browning greatly improves the flavour of the finished sauce. Hit Cancel.
- Transfer the meatballs to a plate and add the broth. Thoroughly deglaze the pan: scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan into the liquid. If you skip this step, the Instant Pot may interpret the stuck on bits as burning food, display the dreaded Burn warning and shut down.
- Hit Saute and add the remaining garlic, basil, mint, and the vinegar and sugar. Add the meatballs and roll them around to coat them with the liquid. When the sauce comes to a boil, hit Cancel and pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs. Do not stir it in, just leave it on top.
- Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Push the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and adjust the time using the + and - buttons to get to 5 minutes. When it beeps that it's done, flip the valve to Venting for a quick release and when the pin drops, open the pot.
- If you like a thicker sauce, remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and hit Saute. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Serve over pasta or rice or in some nice crusty rolls as a minted meatball sandwich.
