Apple Cider-Glazed Turkey Meatballs

I love hitting the cider mill in the next town with the kids each fall; it's great watching the stuff made right after picking the apples used to prepare it. I can't resist bringing some home, as it's a seasonal, local treat.

Fresh though it might be, the cider is obviously still juice. I'm not a mom who gives my kid much juice, so I like to find other uses for the delicious stuff.

This is a savory dish that I reworked from here, which was also a tweaked recipe originally found in Better Homes and Gardens.

The original reworking calls for a good deal more spice than I included this evening, as I was cooking with my kids' taste buds in mind. If you like things with a bit of kick, be more generous with the red pepper flakes and chili garlic sauce.

The extra step of baking the meatballs on a cooling rack allows any excess grease to drip off, not to mention helps them keep their cute little round shape in the oven. It's a method I'd never thought of before but will definitely be using going forward.

Apple Cider-Glazed Turkey Meatballs

meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey
3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbs. unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
1 minced shallot
1/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup shredded apple
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into mini meatballs (about 1 in. in diameter) and place on cooling rack. Bake for 20 minutes.

glaze:

1 cup apple cider

1/4 cup gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tbs. natural applesauce with cinnamon

3 tbs. palm sugar pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1.5 tbs. arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
handful of chopped scallions

Combine all ingredients except scallions in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Add to a large skillet over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer until it thickens (about 2 minutes). Add meatballs to skillet and push around to coat with glaze. Cook for one minute, then remove and top with chopped scallions.