Lamb Meatballs w/Mint Chimichurri

I'm having the BEST time exploring new recipes and cooking with new proteins.  Believe it or not, I'd never cooked with lamb before last week.  I've eaten it and knew I liked it, but was 100% intimidated to cook with it.  Last week I made moussaka with ground lamb and was amazed by the depth of flavor I was able to develop.   I thought to myself - why don't I cook with ground lamb more often?  It's relatively cheap - only $8.99/pound at Whole Foods - and totally easy to cook with.  I guess it's the fear of the unknown or maybe it's the numerous cooking shows I've watched where they've butchered the cooking of the lamb.  Either way, I'm slowly but surely increasing my comfort level.  Ground lamb is a great introductory way to do this because it's so easy to cook and you still get the delicious flavor and richness of cooking with lamb.

Naturally when Ryan and I decided to have a dinner party with his brother and girlfriend, I needed to share with them my new found love of ground lamb.  I didn't want to make a moussaka again since I'd already eaten quite a bit of it, but they were on board with the ground lamb idea.  The first thing that came to mind when I thought of another way to use ground lamb was meatballs.  I didn't want to do just a tomato based sauce and Ryan's brother (Brendan) asked if we could make something with mint.  Without even knowing that it was a thing, I recommended we make a mint chimichurri sauce.  And that's how this recipe was born - out of a few off the cuff ideas that turned into an absolutely delicious dinner.  

I don't know why, but often times I don't follow recipes exactly how they're written.  When I looked up lamb meatball recipes, a few of them said to throw them in the oven under the broiler and just to cook them that way.  I've cooked meatballs in red sauce before and I seared them in a pan and then cooked them in the sauce.  I get that a broiler will give the meatballs a crust, but it's not the same as cooking them in a cast iron pan.  So in typical Amanda fashion, I nixed the method in the recipes I read and came up with my own method - pan sear in a cast iron pan and finish in the oven.  And you know what?  It totally worked!  We ended up with beautifully crispy & crusted meatballs that were cooked through and still juicy on the inside.  And while they were baking, I was able to make the chimichurri sauce.  This recipe may look like a lot, but it's honestly so easy to make and was definitely a crowd pleaser.  Check out the recipe below!

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12 meatballs

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 lb ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg

2 tbs olive oil

For the chimichurri:

1 cup parsley

1 cup mint

3 cloves garlic

2 tbs lemon juice

6 tbs olive oil

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Make the meatballs: combine bread crumbs, parsley, seasoning mix, and lemon zest in medium bowl.  Once thoroughly mixed, add the ground lamb and egg and mix until just combined.
3. Divide the meat mixture into 12 even portions and roll into balls.
4. Preheat large cast iron pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.  Add 2 tbs olive oil to the skillet and add your meatballs.  Sear the outside of the meatballs for 30 seconds-1 minute per side until a deep brown crust forms.
5. Once the meatballs are seared, transfer them to the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.
6. While the meatballs are baking, make the chimichurri.  Add ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until herbs are roughly chopped and ingredients are combined.  If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can also finely chop the herbs and mix in a bowl to combine.