Bolognese Balls

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3/4 pounds 80% lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound mortadella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup crushed canned tomatoes
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface.
3. Set aside.
4. Combine the ground beef, mortadella, eggs, carrots, celery, onions, parsley, cream, tomatoes, bread crumbs, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
5. Roll the mixture into round, golf ballsize meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly.
6. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid.
7. The meatballs should be touching one another.
8. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through.
9. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165F.
10. Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.
11. People have lots of tricks for rolling meatballs, but weve found that one of the best shortcuts to help cut down on time is to use a 1/4-cup (2-ounce) ice-cream scooper.
12. Simply pull a rounded scoop from the bowl of thoroughly mixed meatball mixture and drop it into the prepared baking dish, lining em up, one by one, as directed.

olive oil, ground beef, mortadella, eggs, carrot, celery stalk, onion, parsley, heavy cream, tomatoes, bread crumbs, fresh oregano, salt, freshly ground black pepper

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bolognese-balls-389578 (may not work)