Lamb Meatballs from Thomas Keller

 

We've been out on the beach for the last couple of days enjoying the hot summer weather. As a result, we're now very sunburned, but feeling nice and relaxed.

Now that we're back, we want to share this delicious recipe with you all. We got it from Thomas Keller - not from him personally, but from one of his books - and are pretty intrigued by it. Normally when we make meatballs, it's pretty much just meat, some bread, some cheese, etc. But Thomas Keller wouldn't have it be that simple. These lamb meatballs have a great flavor and pretty much perfect texture for a meatball, and it's thanks to a simple secret ingredient that's perfect in the summer - zucchini!

We served these up with our favorite summer side - tomato cucumber salad with a touch of mint and olive oil, which was the perfect side for these lamb meatballs.

Making the Dish
What You'll Need

For the Lamb Meatballs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 egg yolk
1 lb ground lamb

For the Tomato Cucumber Salad
1 cucumber, sliced into wedges
2 tomatoes, cored and diced
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp freshly chopped mint
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

To start this off, chop up all your ingredients first and preheat your oven to 375 degrees or start up your grill. That'll save you time down the road. Then in a skillet heat up the olive oil and then start to sauté the onion, zucchini, and garlic with a touch of the salt and pepper.

Let the zucchini and onion cook for about 10 - 15 minutes over medium heat until it has started to caramelize and is very soft. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove the zucchini and onion from the skillet and place in a mixing bowl.

Let the zucchini and onion mix cool down a bit and use this time to make the tomato salad. Doing it early in the process will give it time to let the flavors mingle and develop a great taste.

Making the tomato salad is quite simple. Just toss the tomato cucumber and red onion together with the salt pepper and sugar. Then once everything is combined add in the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Then add in the mint leaves and give it another toss. Then let sit rest in the fridge while you finish up the rest of the meatballs.

Now that the zucchini and onion have cooled, add in the egg yolk. It'll be important that you give it a chance to cool or else the heat from the zucchini and onion will cook the egg yolk and give you chunks of yolk - not really what you want here. Stir together with a fork.

Add in the ground lamb and mix everything together using your hands. Mix and mix until the zucchini, onion, and egg is thoroughly incorporated into the lamb. Then, grab small pieces of the lamb and roll them into balls slightly larger than a golf ball. Place them onto a baking sheet.

Bake lamb meatballs for about 15 - 20 minutes (this will vary depending on the size of the meatball). or if you are grilling, give them a sear on each side over direct heat and then move to indirect heat and let cook. After 15 minutes check one to see if it is cooked all the way through. Continue cooking if necessary, if not, serve with the tomato salad on the side and enjoy!

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