----BARB DAY----
2 lb Ground beef
2    Eggs
2 ts -Salt
1 tb Mustard seed
1 ts Celery seed; whole
1/2 ts -Pepper
3 tb Catsup
2    Garlic cloves; sliced
1/2 md Onion; small dice
-Boiling water
-Flour;  for dredging
-Fat; for cooking

FOR SAUCE
1 qt -Water
1 c Catsup
1 tb -Flour
4 tb Cornstartch
1 tb Vinegar
1 tb Sugar
1 ts -Salt
-Pepper; to taste
-Water; to make thin cream

This is a bit of a task to prepare, but well worth the effort. The recipe
was passed down for many generations in my husbands family who immigrated
here from Russia (being Russian Jews) so, I have no idea why they called it
German meatballs, but a meatball by any other name…I guess! Put the
garlic into a water glass and pour 2 T boiling water over it. Mash the
garlic well, then add 2 T. more boiling water. Strain through a kitchen
towel, saving the liquid only. Mix together all the ingredients, including
garlic liquid then shape into balls about the size of a large egg. Roll the
balls in the flour until well coated. Melt enough fat to make about 1/2″ in
a heavy skillet or cast iron cooking pot. Brown the meat balls in the fat.
Remove the meatballs and pour off all but 4 T. of the fat. SAUCE: Add the
qt. of water to the reserved fat along with thecatsup. Make a paste of the
sauce ingredients, stirring in the water to get a consistency of a thin
cream. After the water-catsup mixture is warm, slowly add this mixture,
stirring constantly to avoid lumping, until the mixture has been well
absorbed into the liquid. Cook gently until the sauce is slightly
thickened. Place meatball in the pan, or in an oven-proof roaster and make
sure they are covered with the sauce. Cover pan and bake in hot oven for 1
hour. Serve with mashed potatoes. (My friends also love it with pasta or
rice!)