LAKEWOOD, Wash. — "You can't come to work every day and make meatballs and not laugh about it," said Carrie Stalder, the owner of Lakewood's Manic Meatballs who just happens to be wearing a Viking hat. "It's hilarious and I think it's the best thing I've ever done."
Some might argue the best thing Stalder's ever done is popularize the Bacon Wrapped Meatballs showcased on A&E's "Best In Chow."
"The entire day was laughing and making jokes," she said. "It was pretty funny."
Now she's showing us how to make them.
"So the first thing we do is make a panade, which is actually milk mixed into breadcrumbs and then we move that into the sausage and beef mixture," Stalder said.
Here's where the real work begins. Mixing by hand can be strenuous.
"You need to be a Viking," Stalder said. "So you have to get into it and ARRRRR!"
That sounded more like a pirate to us, we pointed out.
"I guess that's true," Stalder admitted. "Let's try again. ARRRRRRRR!"
Next she pours a liquified egg into the mix and adds sautéed onions and equal measures of pepper, salt and nutmeg.
It's just about time to scoop and roll.
"We're all so manic," Stalder said. "So we like to do it really fast and this gets it done the fastest."
Now comes the most important step for bacon fans.
"We take each meatball and we wrap it in a half a piece of bacon and then we skewer it so it stays on," Stalder said.
After 16 minutes at 350 degrees, the bacon wrapped meatballs come out of the oven. But they're not quite ready to serve until the bacon is cooked fully. Stalder has a deep fryer. You could just use a pan with oil.
"The bacon really needs to be crispy and perfect," Stalder said.
And now you're ready for the big game.
"If you've ever had a Super Bowl party, you've probably served meatballs," Stalder said. "Why not serve Swedish meatballs and why not wrapped in bacon?"
Manic Meatballs is located at 14815 Union Ave SW, Lakewood, WA 98498. They are open every day of the week form 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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