Thanksgiving in a Bite

For most, you can't have Thanksgiving dinner without Turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce. This recipe combines all of those holiday favorites into a delicious Thanksgiving Day appetizer...or meal for those who like to eat smaller portions...that is one of my all-time favorites. And I am positive it will become one of your favorites as well.

Ingredients:

Cranberry Filling:

• 1 14-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
• ½ cup white wine (or cranberry juice, apple cider, or water)
• 1 cup dried cranberried, chopped

Meatball:

• 1 large onion, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3.5 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup dry prepared stuffing mixture or breadcrumbs
• 1 1.5-ounce package More Than Gourmet Roasted Turkey Stock Glace’
• 1 tablespoon grain mustard
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
• 2 tablespoons Dude Food Fire Happy Spice
• 1 tablespoon poultry spice blend (see recipe)
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon fine salt)
• Nonstick spray

Gravy:

• 2 tablespoons butter (or substitute)
• 1 tablespoon Dude Food Fire Mon Ami Sale
• 1 1.5-ounce package More Than Gourmet Roasted Turkey Stock Glace’
• 1 1.5-ounce package More Than Gourmet Roasted Chicken Stock Glace’
• 20 ounces water
• 4 ounces milk (or milk substitute)
• 4 tablespoons arrowroot

Directions:

For Cranberry Filling: In a small saucepot, add wine and cranberries. Bring to simmer. Add in can of jellied cranberry sauce. Don’t stir until the wine has almost absorbed into the cranberries – about 5 minutes. Using a plastic whisk, mix in cranberry sauce until all melted, about 1-2 minutes. Refrigerate to cool and solidify, about 1 hour. 

For Meatball: Sweat the onions in butter and oil for 10-12 minutes until soft and translucent. Add turkey stock glace/ and cook 2-3 minutes stirring constantly to liquify. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In large mixing bowl, add turkey, dry stuffing or breadcrumbs, mustard, eggs, spices, and salt. Using gloved hand, squish the mixture until combined. Add onion mixture and combine until mixed. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to cool. Spray a regular size muffin tin with nonstick spray. Scoop meat into a meatball in your palm. (I use a #16 ice cream scoop to make meatballs that weigh about 3 ounces.) Use thumb to create a divot in the center of the meatball. Add one teaspoon of cranberry filling and close meat around it. Place the stuffed meatball seam-side-down in muffin tin. Repeat until all muffin tins are filled. Bake at 350 degrees on convection for 20-25 minutes until internal temperature is 160 degrees