Moorish lamb meatballs
Certainly more-ish, these Spanish lamb meatballs are made with lots of spices and served with crunchy patatas bravas.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 600g/1lb 5oz lamb mince (or pork mince)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- small bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 100g/3½oz fresh breadcrumbs
- 50ml/2fl oz double cream
- 1 free-range egg
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil, for frying
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 bay leaves
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp honey
- 100ml/3½fl oz plain yoghurt (optional)
- 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves, to serve
For the patatas bravas
- 800g/1lb 12oz floury potatoes, peeled and cut int 3–4cm chunks
- 200ml/7fl oz olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- ½ tsp sugar or honey
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)
Method
For the meatballs, put all the ingredients into a large bowl, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly with your hands. The mixture will feel wet to start with, but if you fold it in on itself as if you are kneading it, it will stiffen up. Form the mixture into balls of around 50g/1¾oz each – you should end up with about 16.
To cook, either heat olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs in two batches, until well browned on all sides, or preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6, put the meatballs on a greased baking tray, and cook for around 15 minutes, or until well browned and just cooked through. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, to make the patata bravas, put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and add plenty of salt. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften.
While you are cooking the meatballs, make the sauce: heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes or until softened and translucent.
Add the garlic, spices and bay leaves and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then add the tomatoes and honey. Pour over 200ml/7fl oz water, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, then uncovered for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the yoghurt, if using.
Drain the potatoes and heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes in a single layer (you may need to cook in batches if you can’t fit them in) and fry for 15–20 minutes or until crisp and brown on all sides.
To make the patatas bravas sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Cook for 2–3 minutes until starting to soften without taking on any colour. Add the vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the sweet and hot paprika.
Pour the sauce over the crisp potatoes and sprinkle with a little more sweet and hot paprika.
To finish the dish, put the meatballs into a large, deep frying pan, and cover with the sauce. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until the meatballs have heated through and the sauce has reduced a little.
Serve sprinkled with a little parsley, if using..