Overview

About Chef Karyn Tomlinson

As our first Queen of Porc, Karyn Tomlinson is a force to be reckoned with.  She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and worked for four-time James Beard regional finalist Russell Klein at his French restaurant, Meritage in St. Paul, and won a Charlie Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2015 when she worked at Borough in Minneapolis’s North Loop. She also is a 2019 semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation.

INGREDIENTS

• 3lbs of grounded meat:                                      fatty pork, venison, and beef.                        *Make sure half the meat is not                       too lean.
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 2 tbsp shallot/onion
• 3 tbsp maple syrup/brown sugar
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp ancho/chili powder
• salt & pepper

HOW TO MAKE MINNESOTA MEATBALLS:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Start sauce, simmer on low

3. Place meat into bowl

4. Mince and onion, garlic, and shallot and add to meat mixture. (About 1 tsp of garlic, 1 tsp of shallot and 1/2 a cup of white onion)

5. Finely chop parsley (or other herb of choice) and add to mixture, followed by the broken wild rice (or other form of binding agent such as bread crumbs or ground oats)

6. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper, then begin mixing the meat by hand. Halfway through mixing, add 1/3 cup of milk and continue to mix until all components are distributed evenly.

7. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 eggs and pour into meat mixture. Mix evenly but not too long!

8. Scoop out meat with a 1 oz scoop and begin shaping meat balls by hand to place on a greased baking tray.

9. Bake at 425 until nicely golden brown. Check after 10 minutes.

10. While meatballs are baking, begin to stir sauce to check on consistency. If the consistency is too thick, add a slack of stock or water!

11. Add a splash of molasses to the sauce, and continue to stir.

12. Once meatballs are done, pour our excess fat and transfer to an oven safe bowl. Slowly pour sauce over the meatballs, and place back into the oven. Cook at 350 until the sauce starts to bubble, about 10 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY SAUCE:

1. Drizzle pan with olive oil and set on low heat.

2. Add shallot and let simmer for a few minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, blueberries, ancho/chili powder, dijon mustard to pan, followed by a splash of Worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar, and maple syrup/

4. Cover to help blueberries break down and let simmer. Now you can start the meatballs.

5. Stir sauce to check on consistency. If the consistency is too thick, add a little stock of water!

6. Add a splash of molasses to the sauce and continue to stir.

7. Taste for seasoning, blend to make smooth.