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French Onion Meatball Skillet

Barbara
The delectable flavor of slow cooked grilled onions infuses this dish with it's mellow oniony goodness.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • large oven safe cast iron skillet

Ingredients
  

For the grilled onions:

  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 6 cups think sliced onions
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp dreid thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

For the meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ⅓ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:

  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Dijon musttard
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

Instructions
 

Cook the onions:

  • In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. 
  • Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are deeply golden brown and reduced significantly in volume, about 30 minutes. Add a splash or two of water to the pan if mixture becomes too dry. 
  • Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
  • Add the balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons butter, scrape up any dark bits in the bottom of the pan.  Cook until liquid cooks off. 
  • Discard the bay leaves and transfer the onions to a large bowl and allow them to cool down. 
  • Carefully wipe out the skillet and set it aside.

Make the meatballs:

  • In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 
  • Roughly chop half the onions and add them to the meatball mixture. 
  • Mix meat mixture together until combined.
  • Divide the mixture up into 16 evenly sized balls. 
  • TIP:  Form the meat mixture into a large ball.  Divide in half, divide each half into half. Keep dividing each portion in half until you have 16 evenly sized portions. 

Cook the meatballs and make the sauce:

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs, and cook them until they are browned on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Remove the meatballs from the skillet, and keep warm. 
  • Sprinkle flour in the pan stirring until the flour is cooked, about 1 minute. 
  • Slowly add the beef broth, the remaining onions, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well to combine the sauce.  
  • Return meatballs to the skillet coating them with the sauce and bring the sauce to a simmer.
  • Cook until the sauce has thickened and is slightly darker in color, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Turn off heat and sprinkle shredded Gruyere cheese over the meatballs.
  • Place skillet in the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly hot, about 2 minutes.   Keep a close eye on the skillet so the cheese doesn’t burn.
  • Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes and a loaf of French bread for mopping up the delectable sauce.
Keyword grilled onions, mashed potatoes, meatballs