Venison Meatballs with Figs

We have a fair number of figs turning ripe this week so I decided I'd come up with a new venison recipe to use some of them up.  We chose to use 1/2 ground lamb meat in addition to our ground deer meat for this recipe, however feel free to try it out using only venison.  Let us know what you think of this venison meatballs recipe!

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. Ground Venison
• 1/2 lb. Ground Lamb
• 8 oz Figs, Chopped
• 1/3 Cup Onion, Chopped
• 1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1 Cup Ketchup
• 1/3 Cup Red Wine, dry
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 1 Tsp. Ground White Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Method

Step 1

Preheat Oven to 400°F.

Step 2

Combine your ground venison and ground lamb in a large mixing bowl with figs (chopped), onion (chopped), bread crumbs, 1 clove garlic (minced), and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Mix until well blended. Roll the mixture in to meatballs approximately 1 inch in diameter. Place them in a single layer in a baking dish. Let cook for 10 minutes and then flip your meatballs so they will cook evenly. Let cook approximately 10 more minutes or until your deer meatballs are cooked through.

Step 3

While your venison meatballs are cooking in the oven, combine your ketchup, red wine, water, 1 garlic clove (minced), your remaining teaspoon of cumin, cinnamon, and white pepper in a saucepan.

Step 4

Once you have flipped your meatballs in the oven, put your saucepan over low to medium heat until simmering. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes. Serve your sauce over your meatballs or add your meatballs to your saucepan and let them simmer in the sauce a few minutes prior to serving.

Step 5

Enjoy your delicious venison and lamb meatballs!