Breakfast sausage meatballs

Ingredients

2 pounds ground pork

4 fresh sage leaves, minced

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

2½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon fennel seeds

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack on top of the parchment.

Put the pork, sage, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, fennel seeds, and cloves in a large bowl and use your hands to combine well. Roll the pork mixture into balls, using about 1½ tablespoons for each, and arrange them on the rack, spacing them evenly.

Bake the meatballs for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are lightly browned on the outside, cooked through, and no longer pink on the inside. Remove from the oven and let cool on the rack.

Store in a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.