Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Cabbage

Of all the recipes I've made from a cookbook, this by far is my favorite one! I was never a fan of lamb but these lamb meatballs have turned me into a lambeliever! I don’t know if it’s because of the combination of the tahini and cabbage, but this is a finger licking good recipe! I would even go as far to say that this recipe encompasses my husband and I very well - lamb and tahini for the North African/Middle Eastern side and the cabbage for the Eastern European side. What could be better!

The recipe is originally from Molly Baz’s Cook this Book - Mint Lamb Meatballs with Crispy Cabbage and Tahini Sauce. If you don’t already own it, I recommend buying it!

Ingredients:

Produce
1 medium green or red cabbage (about 2 pounds) [I prefer green]
3 garlic cloves
1 cup mint leaves
1 lemon

Dairy
1 egg

Meat
1 pound ground lamb

Pantry
5 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
⅔ cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini
1½ teaspoons ground cumin

Directions:

1. Position one rack in the upper third of your oven and a
   second one in the middle. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Prep the cabbage: Quarter 1 medium cabbage through the root end.
   Trim out the core of each quarter. Cut each quarter in
   half crosswise to create 8 pieces total. Separate all of
   the leaves and scatter them across 2 rimmed baking
   sheets- it's okay if they overlap.

3. Drizzle each baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive
   oil and season each with ¾ teaspoon salt and lots of
   black pepper. Use your hands to massage the oil into
   the cabbage so that it's evenly distributed. Roast the
   cabbage until it is charred in some places and has lost
   some of its volume, 13 to 15 minutes, Remove from the
   oven and combine all of the cabbage on one baking
   sheet, reserving the other pan for the meatballs.

4. Increase the oven temperature to 500F

5. Meanwhile, make the meatbalis: In a large bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. Add % cup panko,
   2 tablespoons tahini, 1½ teaspoons ground cumin,
   1¼ teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil and whisk
   to combine.

6. Finely grate 2 garlic cloves into the panko mixture.

7. Chop ½ cup mint leaves and add them to the mixture
   along with about 1 pound ground lamb. Use your
   hands to gently mix the panko mixture into the lamb
   until it is evenly distributed and no pockets of panko
   remain--beware of overworking the mixture or the
   meatballs may get tough. Mix in the remaining ⅔ pound
   ground lamb.

8. Roll the meatball mixture into 12 equal-size balls about
   1½ inches wide. Arrange the meatballs on the empty
   baking sheet.

9. Cook the meatballs and cabbage: Return both baking
   sheets to the oven, placing the meatballs on the top rack
   to encourage better browning.? Roast until the meatballs
   are browned and bounce back when you press on them
   gently and the cabbage is mostly charred and crisp, 7 to
   9 minutes. If the cabbage looks like it could use a few
   more minutes, leave it in the oven and pull out only the
   meatballs to avoid overcooking them.

10. Meanwhile make the tahini sauce: While the meatballs
    roast, stir together ½ cup tahini, ⅓ cup water, the juice of
    1 lemon, and ¾ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Finely grate
    1 garlic clove into the tahini. Whisk the sauce to combine.
    It should have a pourable consistency; if it looks too thick,
    whisk in another splash of water.

11. Assemble and serve: Spread some of the tahini sauce
    on each plate, and top with the cabbage, meatballs, and
    1/4 cup mint leaves.