Meatball Melties

By khojnicki

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef, pork and veal mix
• 2/3 c breadcrumbs
• 1/3 c finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/3 c pecorino romano cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp grated onion
• A splash of whole milk
• 1/2 tbsp rubbed or ground sage
• Fresh nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 8 deli slices mild or sharp provolone cheese
• One 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• Fresh basil leaves, torn
• Pinch of dried oregano or marjoram
• 4 ciabatta rolls or 1/4 large ciabatta loaf, split and warm or toasted

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture, breadcrumbs, parsley, pecorino romano, egg, garlic, onion, milk and sage; season with nutmeg, salt and lots of pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties (thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking).

Drizzle the burgers all over with a liberal amount of EVOO. Place in the hit skillet and cook, turning once, for 10 minutes. Top each burger with 2 slices of provolone and tent with foil to melt.

While the burgers are working, in a medium saucepan, heat the tomatoes. Stir in the basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the burgers on the roll bottoms, then top with the sauce and roll tops.