The Little Owl That Could

Gravy Meatball Sliders. After sampling these bad boys (or girls) at one of my favorite restaurants-the little owl (90 Bedford St, NYC), I had to make them for my next party and they were a hit! You can use chef Joey Campanaro's recipe or else my version:
Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups panko
1 1/2 cup Kellogg's corn flake crumbs
1 1/2 cups of parmesan
few dashes of hot sauce
1 tsp of parsley
1 tsp of oregano
few dashes of garlic salt
cover with fresh ground pepper
Mix together well (like meatloaf). Form into 1 inch balls. In a frying pan, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil until shimmering. Cook 6-8 meatballs at a time at Medium-High heat until all sides are browned. They will not be fully cooked and will finish cooking in the sauce. Set aside on a paper towel covered plate.

Sauce:
2 cans (28 oz each) of whole tomoatoes in juice (I use San Marzano Tomoatoes since they're sweet)
1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 tbsp of light brown sugar
few dashes of salt/pepper to taste
Puree tomatoes in their juice (I used a blender) set aside. Over medium heat, saute the onions for 5-6 minutes until slightly brown. Add garlic and after a minute add the blended tomato mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 40-50 minutes (until it becomes thick like gravy).
Add meatballs and allow to simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes. Make sure the meatballs are covered in sauce so they can be cooked through.

Instead of making fresh buns, I use potato rolls and toast them slightly and then add a meatball to each one with about a tbsp of sauce, a toothpick and voila: Gravy Sliders!