As we are decidedly a family that drowns its sorrows with sweets and not spice, we didn't fully finish the Buffalo Chicken Meatballs we made for the Patriots v. Ravens AFC Championship Game a few weeks back. As our team went down in flames we turned from our spicy nibbles to something cool and sweet to help ease the burn of our loss. This was devastating news for the few pints of ice cream we had in the freezer, but good news for the few remaining Buffalo Balls that were spared to live another day.
The balls rejoiced in our move to ice cream by rolling around, fist-bumping and high-fiving each other, and generally making fools of themselves as the Ravens rolled to victory. In the end though, their date with destiny was only to be delayed a mere 48 hours as I happily tossed them in a skillet to reheat for use in this sandwich for lunch just 2 days later. In addition to the spicy nuggets, I laid some romaine lettuce, finely chopped celery, a touch of mayo and crumbled blue cheese, and a healthy squirt of sriracha into a grilled bun for an unbeatable twist on a classic meatball sub. Honestly, I think I liked the balls better this way then straight up as a party hors d'oeuvres. The play of the textures from the warm, fresh bun to the cool crisp greens, and the rich-spicy chicken made for a very satisfying meal indeed.
The next time I make these meatballs I'll for certain double the batch to ensure I've got some left to freeze for use in future sandwiches. Tasty!
Cheers – Steve
Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sub
Ingredients
- 16 Buffalo Chicken Meatballs - 4 per sandwich
- 4 hot dog buns
- 4 large leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 celery stalk, finely minced
- mayonnaise, crumbled blue cheese and sriracha to taste
Instructions
- Toss the meatballs into a non-stick skillet with a touch of oil and butter and reheat over medium-low heat until warmed through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
- Butter the outside (for new england style rolls) or the inside (for rounded rolls like you see in the photo above) of each hot dog roll, and grill the buttered sides in a skillet until the roll is golden brown.
- Spread some mayo inside the bun, then lay 1 romain leaf inside. Top with the minced celery, then the meatballs, sprinkle with some cheese and finish with a healthy squirt of sriracha.