Lamb Meatballs in an Almond & Pepper Sauce
With fresh dill, parsley, and lemon zest, these easy lamb meatballs have a tasty Mediterranean flavor that goes well with a romesco-style sauce. I like to keep the almond and pepper sauce in my refrigerator to use as a dip or to spread on just about anything—toast, grilled meats, you name it. I recommend you make plenty of extra. It will keep, covered, in your refrigerator for up to 1 week, but I doubt it will last that long.
Ingrediënten
Serves 6 to 8
MEATBALLS
- 1 small white onion
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 egg beaten
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil for frying
SAUCE
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup blanched sliced almonds toasted (see this page)
- Salt
- 3 tomatoes Early Girl or Roma preferred, peeled (see this page)
- 1 roasted red bell pepper finely chopped (jarred is okay)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Instructies
- It helps to know: This recipe requires a food processor or blender.
- To make the meatballs, grate the onion into a large bowl using the large side of a box grater.
- Add the lamb, garlic, dill, parsley, egg, lemon zest, cayenne, salt, and a couple large pinches of black pepper.
- Use your hands to mix everything together until just combined.
- Form the mixture into meatballs each about the size of a golf ball and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm.
- Don’t skimp on this step; they’ll fall apart if you try to fry them immediately.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, remove the stems from the ancho chiles, break them in half, and discard their seeds.
- Soak them in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes to soften.
- Drain, chop, and set aside.
- In a small pan over low heat, toast the bread crumbs until they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse together the garlic, almonds, and a couple pinches of salt until a rough paste forms.
- Squeeze out the tomato seeds over the sink to discard, then add the tomatoes to the paste along with the chiles, roasted red bell pepper, and bread crumbs.
- With the speed on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of it is incorporated.
- Transfer to a bowl, stir in the sherry vinegar, and season with salt to taste.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and set over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the meatballs in a single layer, carefully turning them until browned on all sides, about 1 minute per side.
- Work in batches, setting the browned meatballs aside on a paper towel.
- Set the meatballs in a large baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- Spread the almond and pepper sauce on your serving plate and top with the meatballs.
- Serve.
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