Indian Lamb Balls in Tomato Sauce

After  competing in the Pro Am DC, which I did not win, I had two pounds of boneless leg of lamb left in my freezer.

My friend Sylvie, who is one of the four finalists in the same competition {YAY!}, offered to come over with her gorgeous yellow Kitchen Aid and its grinder attachment, so that I could grind the lamb. I was game!

So then I had two pounds of ground lamb...what to do? Lamb balls!

The day of the grinding, Sylvie and I spent some time at an Indian store, followed by a dinner of Butter Chicken, Spinach Salad, etc. Needless to say, Indian flavors were on my mind.

Thus, I decided to make Indian Lamb Balls in Tomato Sauce. I used this recipe for Albondigas as my guide.








Indian Lamb Balls in Tomato Sauce
makes ~ 29 lamb balls

Ingredients
For the lamb balls
2 pounds ground lamb {I used lamb from Border Springs Farm}
1 onion, grated
2 eggs
1 cup panko crumbs
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

For the tomato sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes {confession: I only had one can, so used a few cups of water: don't do it! The sauce was good, but watery. Just use two cans of crushed tomatoes}
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon garam masala

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the lamb balls. Using an ice cream scoop, form the mixture into balls and place them in one layer in 9x13 Pyrex dish. Bake the balls for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and a cinnamon stick and cook until the seeds start to pop. Add the remaining ingredients for the tomato sauce and simmer for ten minutes.

4. Carefully place the lamb balls into the sauce and continue to simmer for ten minutes.

These lamb balls are incredibly tender, so be gentle with them. The flavor of fresh ginger really shines and is offset by the sweetness of the tomato sauce. I really liked the pop of the cumin and mustard seeds in the sauce.

You can serve these balls with Basmati rice, pasta, polenta, or a side of sauteed green beans and eggplant (that's what I did).

Enjoy!