Mexican Meatballs

I am a big fan of Rick Bayless. He is the owner of Frontera Grill in Chicago, my favorite Mexican Restaurant. I have all of his cookbooks. I recently bought Everyday Mexican. A recipe that really intrigued me was his meatballs. We made them and were blown away by how tasty they were.

Mexican Meatballs

1 pound hamburger or ground pork
3 pieces raw bacon, finely diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint

Combine all of the above ingredients and mix very well. Form into balls and bake on a cookie sheet at 450 until done. Place baked meatballs into a baking dish.

Sauce:
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes or 28 ounces of fresh roma tomatoes, blackened under the broiler
2 cloves garlic - pan roasted
1 t pepper
1 t oregano
salt to taste
2 chipotle peppers in sauce

Take all ingredients and combine in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Combine sauce and meatballs and cover with aluminum foil. Bake 50 minutes at 350 covered and 10 minutes uncovered.

Here is a photo of garlic roasting in a pan.

Here is what the finished meatballs should look like: