Garlic Ginger Pork Meatballs

Ok. You may be looking at this recipe and thinking, this looks like pork dumplings without the wrappers. You, my friend, would be correct. I created this filling, was ready to make dumplings, and learned that my wrappers had gone sour in the fridge. So, in a state of simultaneous dejection and determination to not waste food, I pivoted my plans and made meatballs. Thankfully, I had rice in the fridge I could serve it with, so it became quite a good meal. This recipe is inspired by Chinese dumplings, particularly, and the aromatics give a fresh flavor to the fatty pork base. I was surprised by the relatively short ingredient list. This one is a keeper.

Ingredients

• ½ lb. ground pork
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 thumb ginger, minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 Tbsp. scallions, diced finely

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients
3. Mix with hands (or a spoon if you must) until the mixture is homogeneous
4. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes to marinate
5. Form the meatballs with your hands
6. Place meatballs on parchment-lined baking sheet
7. Bake meatballs for 15-20 minutes, depending on size
8. Serve with chili sauce of your choice and enjoy