Wild Rice Bison Meatballs

By Heather Meyer

Makes 12 large or 20 appetizer-sized meatballs. Note: Plan ahead for cooking the wild rice. Hand harvested wild rice will take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Commercial wild rice will take much longer. You can also use cooked quinoa in place of wild rice. Burgers can also be made with this recipe. Freezes well.

Ingredients

1 lb ground bison (or substitute beef) from Sunshine Harvest Farm
1/2 cup wild rice, cooked (see note above) from Prairie Hollow or Sunrise Flour Mill
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoon shallot, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, mixed
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated hard cheese from Shepherd’s Way or Cosmic Wheel Creamery
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water or stock

Instructions

Place all ingredients except oil and barbecue sauce in a large bowl. Gently combine without over mixing, until evenly incorporated. Form into small meatballs. This can be made less messy by getting a bowl of water to dip your fingers in while shaping the meatballs.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil to cook meatballs. Cook in batches, being careful to not lift them up until they release from the pan. When all meatballs are seared, add barbecue sauce and water/stock to the same pan. Cover and bring to a low simmer, then add the meatballs. This can also be done in a crock pot. Cook gently for about 10 minutes.