Savory Appetizer Meatballs (With Gluten Free Option)

In the early 1980's, this is one of the first appetizer

 recipes that I learned to make. They are very simple 

& tasty and everyone likes them!

Meatball Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef, turkey, pork or a mixture of meats
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs (or gluten free cracker crumbs)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon tarragon

Sauce Ingredients:
8 - 10 ounces of Dijon style mustard
8 - 10 ounces of red currant jelly (may substitute with black currant or grape jelly, but red currant is best)**
1 teaspoon horseradish (optional)

Preheat oven to 500*. Combine the meat, crumbs, milk, eggs and spices. Mix and shape into balls about the size of large marbles. Arrange on lightly greased foil lined shallow baking pans. Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from pan and add to sauce. Makes about 30.

For the sauce: Place mustard, jelly and horseradish in a saucepan. Over medium heat, cook and stir until the jelly and mustard are well blended. Add meatballs and serve.

Meatballs in sauce

**If you cannot find red currant jelly, you may substitute apricot, peach or orange marmalade. I substituted coconut milk for the regular milk and apricot- pineapple preserves for the red current jelly ~ the meatballs & sauce were great!

Note: 

This meatball recipe can be doubled, or you can make a batch with beef & tarragon and another with turkey & sage. The sauce is enough to coat 2 pounds of meatballs. To make gluten free meatballs, substitute ground gluten free cracker crumbs for the bread crumbs.