Venison Meatball Subs

The Meatball Sub. A staple of the Comfort Food Family. I’m not a huge fan of sandwiches – too pedestrian for my tastes. But the meatball sub. Who hasn’t made a mess plowing down on one of these grinders? Love the flavor; you can not add too much cheese, of several different varieties, which works for me.

And with venison, it’s pretty simple.

Start with a pound of ground venison and mix in a cup of Vigo Italian breadcrumbs and two eggs. No secret here; it’s the recipe on the can of Vigo. I’m that lazy. Mold into balls about an inch and a half in diameter.

Now here comes the fork in the road. I personally prefer to pan fry the meatballs. My wife requests baked which I feel is quite an indignity.

To bake (like a sissy) preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook 25-30 minutes. Fry only a couple minutes until golden brown.

I also rather fry because the meatballs carry the oil into the sauce for more flavor. Heat a couple jars of Ragu in a large pot. Unless you want to go all gourmet just use the standard issue traditional style spaghetti sauce. No need for clumpy onions and mushrooms. Add a cup of parmesan.

Once the meatballs are ready, dump them in the sauce and cook for another 30-45 minutes over low heat. This simmers the spaghetti sauce into the meatballs.

Toast a sub roll, if you like, and line with meatballs making sure to cover any bread with sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella and a couple slices of Provolone, perhaps.

Keep plenty of napkins available.

As is the case with most Italian foods, it's almost better reheated later!