Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney on Matafan for "French Sundays with Dorie"

I 'm  late the the French Friday with Dorie Matafan party but hopefully there will still be some room for me at the table because these Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney certainly deserve to attend.  Please don't penalize them due to my tardiness.   They aren't to blame.  Could they help it took me awhile to find something for them to wear to the party?  

And, um, I also have an excuse.  I blame my tardiness on the late announcement of our selections this month.    Announcing  selections is a bit harder than I thought, evidently.    

Blame is one of those things that there always seems to be plenty of so there is always  enough to share.  Go ahead and help yourself to some of it.   Nobody will stop you.  

There are some advantages to being late, however, and things really do work out for the best -- in most circumstances.   This was certainly is one of those times and my matafan found the perfect outfit!   Not only did I get to consider all the helpful hints of my fellow Doristas but I also got to take a few moments to consider "What Would Trix Do?"

Do you know Trix?  Not only is she a good friend but she is also the well travelled proprietress of one of my favorite food blogs, "Tasty Trix".    I really like her style!   She manages to add her own flavorful spin to any recipe she presents; when she "Trixifies" a recipe you always know you are in for a real treat.  So, please go check her out if you haven't already and get inspiration form her as I do.  

She's a real original and so are her wonderful recipes.  If you don't find anything there that inspires you then, well, don't blame me.  Blame yourself.

Last night I whipped up the Matafan (these tasty simple potato pancakes) for my late French Fridays with Dorie effort  and I was staring down some leftover ground lamb and beef.  Suddenly I felt some compelling Trixie inspiration of my own.    

The result:  Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney.

I through in a little of this, and a little of that and raided my spice cabinet.   My spice collection is not as vast as Trix's (she even creates her own unique blends!) but these meatballs turned out to be the perfect topping for Matafan as they needed a nice carby platform to showcase their  exotic spiciness.

What food bloggers inspire you to be creative?

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Chutney

 

 

For the balls:

• 1/2 pound ground lamb
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 TBS fresh grated ginger
• 1 egg
• 2 T chopped cilantro
• 1 T dried mint flakes (or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped)
• 2 T Ras el Hanout spice (or any other Middle Eastern spice blend you enjoy)

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 T sirraca sauce
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with sauce.

Combine ingredients for meatballs (using only 1 T of Ras el Hanout) in a bowl and mix well with your hands. Form into 1 inch balls. In a large skillet heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cut meatballs and turn until brown on all sides. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of Ras al hanout over balls to toss and coat balls and and cook, stirring until coated and toasty. Remove balls from pan and set aside. Reserve fat in pan.

To make the sauce add onion and garlic to pan and cook until softened. Add 2 T sirraca sauce and stir over heat as onions cook. Add the can of tomatoes and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes as sauce cooks down. Return meatballs to sauce to heat through and serve.

Matafan

I have to agree with my fellow Doristas who thought that it was an awful lot of work to produce these tiny little potato pancakes.  I'm really not sure I will ever set out to make these direct from the recipe again but I will tell you this:  the next time I have to make mashed potatoes for a family dinner I will accidentally double the recipe.

Gotta hand it to the Dor for another recipe in her book that is really more about teaching technique than anything else.   There is no reason why your favorite mashed potato recipe can't be transformed into these with a little flour and egg.    Can you imagine how fun these would be with garlic or green onions?  Or herbs?  Mine were heavily salted and peppered thanks to the suggestions of the Doristas and yet I'm still enjoying a couple of them this morning with some plumb preserves.

Find the recipe here.  And yes, they keep well in a sealed container and can be reheated in a microwave or low even to enjoy the next day!