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1
Preheat the oven to 375F.
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2
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface.
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3
Set aside.
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4
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan for 1 minute over medium-high heat.
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5
Add the onions, fennel, and salt.
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6
Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
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7
Place the rabbit legs in another baking dish and cover with the hot onion mixture.
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8
Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning the legs every 10 minutes.
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9
When done, the meat should be tender and falling off the bone.
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10
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
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11
Pick the cooked meat off the bones, being careful to remove all of the bones.
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12
Coarsely chop the meat, combine with the onion mixture, and set aside.
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13
Raise the oven temperature to 450F.
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14
Combine the cooked, chopped rabbit mixture with the raw ground rabbit, rosemary, pepper, garlic, white wine, parsley, eggs, and bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
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15
Roll the mixture into round, golf ballsize meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly.
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16
Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid.
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17
The meatballs should be touching each other.
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18
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through.
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19
A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165F.
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20
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.
