It’s getting cold and dark in Melbourne, so I thought I’d share some warming comfort food. These lamb meatballs are one of my favourite dishes to make. They’re easy, tasty and crowd-pleasing (to which my housemates will attest). Bonus: they’re Paleo! Last night I served them with a simple sweet potato and cauliflower mash, but they go just as well with plain quinoa, rice or warm, crusty bread. Whatever you need to soak up the rich tomatoey sauce and delectable soft-baked eggs. Mmmm.
You will need:
Meatballs:
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 bunch each of parsley and coriander (stems and leaves). Keep extra leaves for sprinkling.
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 onion
- 400g lamb mince
- 4-6 eggs (at least 1 for each person you’re serving)
- 2 tbsp ground sumac (a dark red spice with a tangy, lemony flavour. Don’t stress if you don’t have it)
- 1 cup tomato passata
- lemon juice
Paleo Mash:
- 1 medium sweet potato
- half a head of cauliflower
- sea salt and pepper
- something to make it creamy: coconut cream, butter, your choice of milk etc
What to do:
Preheat oven to fan-forced 180°C (200°C conventional). Get out your food processor and pulverise the spices, chopped herbs, salt, garlic, onion and lamb mince until it comes together nicely. If you have a large food processor, throw it all in at once, but if you have a mini one I recommend blending everything except the lamb first, then adding the mince a bit at a time. Roll lamb mixture into oval football shapes and place in a large oiled baking dish. Sprinkle with sumac and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
While you’re waiting for the meatballs, chop up the sweet potato and cauliflower. Steam or microwave until soft. Mash together or use a stick blender to get it really smooth. Add butter/milk etc and salt and pepper to taste.
OK, back to the lamb. Spoon passata around the meatballs. Add a splash of dry red wine if you’ve already got a bottle open and are making this with glass in hand, as I was last night (yes, it’s bloody cold outside, what else are you gonna be doing?). Crack eggs over the top (be careful not to break the yolks), sprinkle with extra parsley and coriander leaves and bake for another 15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. My preference? Gooey.
Squeeze over lemon and serve with mash and a simple green salad or cooked greens. Yum.
