These meatballs are adapted from Irina Jankievska’s cookbook The Balkan Kitchen.  She is not clear in her book about exactly where in the Balkans these meatballs are from, but she does say that her mother used to make them a lot and she is from North Macedonia.  This will take a bit more than an hour to make and will serve 4-5 people.  We ate them with mashed potatoes.

For the onion sauce

3 Tbs. olive oil

700 g. onions, thinly sliced

½ tsp. salt

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. tomato paste

¼ tsp. cumin

3 bay leaves

100 ml. water

For the meatballs

1 large egg

1 medium onion, grated

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbs. sweet paprika

1 Tbs. tomato paste

4 Tbs. panko

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp. salt

500 g. ground beef (not too lean – I used 80/20)

3 Tbs. olive oil

First make the onion sauce.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the thinly sliced onions and salt.  Stir to coat the onions and then cover.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly browned.  Stir in the butter, tomato paste, and cumin and cook another 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the bay leaves and water.  Put the onion sauce in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

While the onions are cooking, make the meatballs.  Put the egg, onion, oregano, paprika, tomato paste, panko, parsley and salt in a large bowl and mix together.  Add the ground beef and mix together with your hands.  Using a baller, divide the meat mixture into 16-20 golf ball sized balls.  Use your hands to better shape the balls.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wipe out the large skillet used to make the onion sauce and add the olive oil.  Over medium heat, heat the oil and then add the meatballs.  Cook until well browned on the outsides, but not cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Put the meatballs on top of the onion sauce in the baking dish.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Serve with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, rice, or pasta.