Curtain Call
This is pretty much the description of 2020. Something has gone wrong with everything, and we’re not sure yet how to put it back in order. It’s the IKEA level of assembling it together without any instructions. Doesn’t it feel like you need an engineering degree even for the simplest of tasks? I’m not sure engineers know either how to screw the world back into its operational mode. Perhaps aliens can help us because humans are obviously lost and confused about life right now.
While we wait for the mothership to land, I suggest we stock up, make food and prepare to hibernate. Eating always solves everything, at least for a little while. Whether you celebrate the end of the year or not, make sure you cook something that tastes great and is extra satisfying to your soul. It doesn’t have to be complicated but make it special and indulgent in some ways.
Somehow this year I wasn’t feeling like having a dessert for my indulgent meal. I love sweets of course but perhaps I was craving substance. Don’t we all right now?! I don’t eat lamb too often. I love the taste but it’s a bit too fat-laden to digest. However, I’ve been craving lamb lately so I thought I’d make it my end of the year indulgent meal. I didn’t want to make any traditional lamb dishes but rather create something new and enticing. And I wasn’t disappointed, it was delicious! Lamb has a sweet undertone to begin with, and a combination with white sweet potatoes picks it up the notch even more. And cherry-cranberry-beets chutney adds a great flavor of mild tartness and spice. And, the best part: it can be either an appetizer or a main dish. Serve it as a hero sandwich or just with crusty bread, and I guarantee you’ll love it!
As we draw 2020 to a close, may you find peace and tranquillity even in the harshest of circumstances, may you keep hope even in the middle of despair, may you feel supported even when you think you’re falling, and may you feel loved even if you’re alone!
❤️ Happy New Year!
What’s Cooking This Week
We’re on our last recipe of the year, and it’s a great one! It’s colorful, full of protein and nutrients, and it can be a festive one or an everyday meal. I suggest you find the leanest lamb grind as not to overpower the taste with fat. You may try substituting white sweet potato with regular one, but I strongly suggest the former for its sweet taste. Also, when mixing meat and potato to make the meatballs, I left some of the chunks unbroken so it created a nice alternating texture in one bite (plus it just looks pretty with little white potato chunks sticking out). At last, I used frozen cranberries and cherries as it was easier to pulse them together with beets. You can use fresh berries if you like. You can also up the spice factor if you like it hot.
Lamb and Sweet Potato Meatballs with Cherry-Cranberry-Beets Chutney
Start with crushing together cherries, cranberry and beets. I’ve used frozen berries but fresh ones are ok too.
The dish also uses many fragrant herbs and spices, such as mint, thyme and shallots.
Transfer pulsed berries and beets into a saucepan, add water and start simmering to first bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add coconut sugar and maple syrup and continue cooking. Once it’s cooked half way through, add ground ginger, paprika, balsamic glaze, and the rest of the spices. Cook it on a low flame, stirring frequently, until all liquid evaporates and chutney is soft.
While chutney is cooking, sauté shallots. Add it to ground lamb with white sweet potatoes, yogurt, and spices.
You can incorporate potato completely into the mix or you can still leave little chunks, which is what I did. Make meatballs and set them aside.
Heat up 1-2 Tbsp of oil in a cast iron pan, brown meatballs for 1-2 minutes on each side. Deglaze the pan with 1 Tbsp red wine. Arrange mint and thyme sprigs around meatballs and put them in the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size. Be careful as not to overcook them. You want some pink inside.
Serve as individual portions appetizer on top of chutney.
You can also serve them as a main dish too with some crusty bread to soak up the chutney.
You can also have guests to choose their way and serve themselves.
It’s delicious either way so you may want to make a double recipe.
You can make it a regular family meal once the holidays are over. It’ll be a new favorite.
Lamb and Sweet Potato Meatballs with Cherry-Cranberry-Beets Chutney
Equipment
- Food processor, stove, oven, iron cast pan, saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground lamb
- 1 very large white sweet potato, cooked
- 1/4 cup thick Greek yogurt
- 1 medium shallot, lightly fried
- 12 oz cranberries, frozen
- 12 oz cherries, frozen
- 2 small beets
- 2 Tbsp ground ginger, fresh chutney
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar chutney
- 1/4 cup maple syrup chutney
- 1 Tbsp red wine meatballs
- 2 tsp molasses chutney
- 2 tsp garlic powder meatballs
- 2 tsp French seasoning meatballs
- 1 tsp sweet paprika chutney
- 1/2 tsp sage chutney
- 1 tsp five spice meatballs
- 1/2 tsp cloves chutney
- 1/4 tsp white pepper meatballs
- 1/4 tsp salt chutney
- 1 tsp salt meatballs
- 6 sprigs thyme, fresh meatballs
- 5 sprigs mint, fresh meatballs
- 2 Tbsp olive oil frying meatballs
Instructions
- Start with crushing together cherries, cranberry and beets.
- Transfer pulsed berries and beets into a saucepan, add water and start simmering to first bring it to a boil.
- Once it’s boiling, add coconut sugar and maple syrup and continue cooking.
- Once it’s cooked half way through, add ground ginger, paprika, balsamic glaze, and the rest of the spices.
- Cook it on a low flame, stirring frequently, until all liquid evaporates and chutney is soft.
- While chutney is cooking, sauté shallots. Add it to ground lamb with white sweet potatoes, yogurt, and spices.
- You can incorporate potato completely into the mix or you can still leave little chunks, which is what I did. Make meatballs and set them aside.
- Heat up oil in a cast iron pan, brown meatballs for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Deglaze the pan with 1 Tbsp red wine.
- Arrange mint and thyme sprigs around meatballs and put them in the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size.
- Serve as individual portions appetizer on top of chutney.
- You can also serve them as a main dish too with some crusty bread to soak up the chutney.