Deep Fried Meatballs

Deep fried WHAT!? That's right, you read it correctly. Deep fried meatballs. I made them for dinner tonight. And guess what? I didn't use a recipe! I just made them up! I'm sure they've been done before, but I had never heard of it. So before writing this post, I Googled it. And yes, they've definitely been done before.

But probably not like mine. Ok, the actual meatball could've been a bit more seasoned, but I coated them in seasoned panko breadcrumbs and I think that's what did it.

A crunch. Then your teeth sink into the soft, moist goodness that was the meatball.

Wish I took pictures of the process, but I'll try to describe it as best I can.

For the meatball I combined:
- about a pound of ground beef
- one egg
- a splash of milk
- a sprinkle (and then some more) plain bread crumbs
- a pinch of pre-chopped garlic (you know, the stuff in the jar)
 I rolled them into fair sized balls, and put them in a 350 degree oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes (because I wasn't sure how long to cook them for and didn't want to over cook). I checked the temperature after 15 minutes and they weren't quite done, but were close, so I just left them in the turned-off oven until I was ready to fry 'em. 

For the coating:
In one shallow dish I combined about three tablespoons of flour and a dash of pepper. 
In another shallow dish I combined a bunch of panko breadcrumbs, and a pinch of each: rosemary, basil, and thyme. These herbs were just a wild guess, but I think they worked pretty well together. 
In another separate dish (I used a measuring cup) I whisked an egg with about a tablespoon of water. 

Now to fry them! Heat up some oil in a deep fry pan (a wok? *shrug*) to 375 degrees. While it's heating, take each meatball and roll them in the flour mixture. Dunk them in the egg, and then roll them in the breadcrumb mixture. Drop each ball into the hot oil and fry until golden. You don't have to worry if the meat is cooked because you already did that! Awesome! 

I served these with mashed potatoes seasoned with vegetable seasoning, and frozen peas. I know.
Let's say I wanted the meatballs to take center stage. Yeah, we'll go with that.

The husband loved them (toughest critic). The daughter liked them (good enough for me). So we'll do these again. Soon.

Til next time, deep fried meatballs. Til next time.