Donal Skehan’s harissa lamb meatballs
Delightful on their own or served up with cooked rice and toasted flatbreads - Donal’s making his juicy lamb meatballs that are a one-pot wonder and can be on the table in just 30 minutes.
Harissa Lamb Meatballs
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
500g lamb mince
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large egg
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
75g breadcrumbs
50ml buttermilk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 heaped tbsp harissa paste
2 x 400g tins of whole tomatoes
2 small oranges, thinly sliced
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
To serve:
Flatbreads, heated
Cooked basmati
Method
1. Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and mix with your hands until well combined. Form large golf ball sized meatballs and set aside on a plate.
2. Place a large shallow and wide casserole/ Dutch oven dish over a medium high heat and add a little oil. Fry the meatballs on all sides until browned and then set them aside on a plate.
3. Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
4. For the sauce, bring the casserole/ Dutch oven dish back to a medium high heat and add a little more oil if needed before adding the onions and frying for 8-10 minutes until softened. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute or two.
5. Add the harissa paste and fry for 1 minute, stirring to combine before adding the tinned tomatoes. Bring to a steady simmer and cook for 5 minutes before adding the orange and chickpeas, stirring to combine. Season to taste.
6. Add the meatballs to the pan, pressing them into the sauce.Place the casserole dish in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
7. Serve with hot flatbreads and bowls of rice.