Wild Turkey Meatballs with Apples and Shallots in a Light Cream Sauce
There is a lot of meat on an Eastern wild turkey and grinding is an efficient way to use up some of the leg, wing, and back meat after removing the breast, though the breast can be ground too. Consider using non-lead ammunition for hunting turkey to keep the meat safe for all family members to enjoy. Who doesn’t love meatballs?!
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. ground turkey meat
- ¼ cup minced shallot or red onion
- ¼ cup tart apple, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- ¼ tsp ground cayenned or some fresh minced
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup quick oats or bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup apple cider or white wine
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup light cream
- 1 tsp. herbs de Provence or chopped fresh sage or parsley
Preparation:
In just a bit of olive oil or butter, sauté the onion, apple, and garlic for a few minutes until fragrant but not browned. 
Add poultry seasoning and cayenne pepper and remove from heat. In a medium sized bowl add eggs and oats or bread crumbs and mix to combine. 
Add a dash of salt and pepper. Add in the sautéed onion, apple, and garlic mixture and combine. Then mix in the ground turkey meat and combine all ingredients. This is easiest to do with clean, dry hands. You may want to test your seasoning by frying a tiny bit of the meat mixture in a small pan and adjust seasonings according to taste.
Form into 1” round meatballs. Place on a baking sheet (lined with foil if desired for easier clean-up) and bake in oven preheated to 375 degrees for 15 -20 minutes until browned and cooked through. 
Or you can fry the meatballs in a lightly oiled pan until browned and cooked through. These meatballs are delicious as is at this point and can be frozen, vacuum sealed, to be used within a few months. Makes about 20 meatballs.
To make 4 servings of a main course- Sauté 12 of the meatballs in a large fry pan. 
At the same time cook about 2 cups of dried noodles in boiling water. When the meatballs are browned on all sides and nearly cooked through, add cider or wine to the pan and stir up browned bits from the bottom. If there is not much room in the pan, remove meatballs to a plate and tent with foil while you make the sauce. Add chicken stock, stir well, liquids should be gently simmering. Add the light cream and herb seasoning. Cook until sauce is thickened up a bit. 
Add meatballs and noodles to the sauce and stir well to combine. Serves about 4 people with 3 meatballs each.
