Beef meatballs with bacon

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• Half an onion, coarsely chopped
• 700 g lean ground beef
• 0.5 tbsp. breadcrumbs
• 0.5 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• Chopped fresh chives, for serving

Sauce

• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 cup ruby ​​port
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 slices of bacon
• 4 cups lightly salted chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp. premium flour
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Prepare the sauce:
   
   Combine the red wine, port, shallots, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and bacon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the liquid has reduced by a third, about 30 minutes.
2. Add the chicken broth and continue to simmer until reduced by half, about 40 minutes more (you should have about 2 cups of liquid). Strain into a clean saucepan.
3. In a bowl, combine the butter and flour to form a paste. Stir the paste into the sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the meatballs.:
   
   Finely chop the bacon and onion in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; mix until evenly distributed.
5. Wet your hands and form into about 48 meatballs, about 2.5 cm each.
6. Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning, until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
7. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess fat.
8. Wipe out the skillet, add the sauce and meatballs, and cook over medium heat until the sauce comes to a simmer and the meatballs are heated through, about 2 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the sauce is too thick. Sprinkle with chives.