We certainly love our lamb. It is a relatively lean meat and has such a unique taste and aroma. It also packs a mean punch of vitamin B. This recipe will have your house smelling oh so amazing. We are confident that there won’t be any leftovers. If you find that you are left with a few meatballs when the day is done, chop them up and add them to a breakfast scramble to enjoy the next morning.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup (75 g) shallots, minced
1 cup (100 g) mushrooms, finely chopped
2 pounds (1 kg) lamb, ground
¼ cup (7 g) fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons lemon zest
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 pinch salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
¼ cup (60 mL) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine
1 small garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground pepper, to taste
- Melt butter over medium heat in skillet. Stir in shallots and sauté until tender.
- Transfer to large bowl and add mushrooms, lamb, parsley, egg, and lemon zest to bowl with shallots.
- Sprinkle in oregano, salt & pepper as you mix all contents together. Let stand in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Form lamb mixture into balls about the size of a ping pong ball (or golf ball if that helps) and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in same skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook meatballs in batches until evenly brown on all sides and place on paper towels to drain. Once they are done, transfer them to a serving dish and keep skillet contents on heat.
- Mix tomato sauce, wine, garlic, and cinnamon into skillet. Cook until well blended. Season with black pepper to taste, then pour the sauce over the meatballs. Serve with toothpicks and enjoy.
Variation—Try these with nearly any ground meat, but you’ll have to change the name.