Meatball Melties

I've always been a Rachel Ray fan, even though she can be annoying.  I just recently started to buy her magazine.  This recipe was in the second issue I obtained, and it is oh so so good!

MEATBALL MELTIES

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix
• 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• A splash whole milk
• 1/2 tablespoon rubbed or ground sage
• Fresh nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for generous drizzling
• 8 deli slices mild or sharp provolone cheese
• 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• A few leaves fresh basil, torn
• A pinch dried oregano or marjoram
• 4 ciabatta rolls or 1/4 large ciabatta loaf, split and warmed or toasted 

Preparation

Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture, breadcrumbs, parsley, Pecorino Romano, egg, garlic, onion, milk and sage; season with nutmeg, salt and lots of pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties (thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking).

Drizzle the burgers all over with a liberal amount of EVOO. Place in the hot skillet and cook, turning once, for 10 minutes. Top each burger with 2 slices of provolone and tent with foil to melt.

While the burgers are working, in a medium saucepan, heat the tomatoes. Stir in the basil and oregano; season with salt and pepper.

Place the burgers on the roll bottom, then top with the sauce and roll tops.

RESULT
The burgers were really tasty.  I couldn't find a meat mixture at my local stores, so I just used ground beef.  I also used Parmesan cheese instead of the Pecorino for the same reason, but it tasted super good anyway!  Safeway sells ciabatta rolls in their deli section in a pack of 4 for $2.50, the deli provolone was only around $3.00...which makes this dish easy and cheap for a family of four.  The boyfriend gave it a thumbs up, so it's definelty a keeper!