1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it to prevent sticking.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, minced garlic, egg, milk, salt, pepper, and thyme. Use your hands to gently mix until just combined—overmixing can make meatballs tough.
3. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, about the size of a golf ball. You should get roughly 20 meatballs.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Brown meatballs on all sides, about 5-7 minutes total. They don’t need to be fully cooked through at this point.
5. Transfer browned meatballs to the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes to finish cooking through. Internal temperature should reach 160°F (71°C).
6. While meatballs bake, prepare the cranberry glaze. In a small saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
7. Once meatballs are cooked, transfer them to a large bowl, pour the warm cranberry glaze over, and gently toss to coat evenly.
8. Serve immediately, or keep warm until ready to enjoy.

Here’s a little insider tip from my early days of kitchen mishaps: always brown the meatballs first. It seals in flavor and keeps them juicy through baking. And don’t rush the mixing step—gentle hands make for tender meatballs, a lesson learned after many “tough bites” in my Wednesday dinners back in college.