Harissa Lamb Meatballs

I absolutely love this dish. It's as simple as that. I can honestly, hand on heart say that this is one of my all-time favourite dishes to cook and eat. There's just something about the soft, luxurious texture of the meatballs coated in the gentle heat of the harissa-spiked tomato sauce which really tickles my taste buds.

You could swap out the lamb mince for beef or even veggie mince if you want but I really implore you to try this with lamb because the fat brings the flavour. I like to serve this dish simply with chunks of flatbread for dipping and scooping to make sure you get every last drop of the sauce but you could also serve it with rice or even with a green salad for a lighter dish.

Harissa Lamb Meatballs

Serves 4

For the meatballs: 

500g minced lamb 

1 small onion, finely chopped 

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

1 large egg 

2 tsp smoked paprika 

2 tsp ground cumin 

75g breadcrumbs or blitzed crackers

50ml buttermilk/natural yoghurt/Keffir

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the sauce: 

2 tbsp olive oil 

2 onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

1 heaped tbsp harissa paste 

2 x 400g tins of whole tomatoes 

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and mix with your hands until well combined. Form into golf ball sized meatballs - you should be able to make around 24. Place a large shallow and wide casserole/dutch oven over medium high heat and add a little oil. Fry the meatballs on all sides until browned. Set aside on a plate. 

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. For the sauce, bring the casserole/dutch oven back to a medium high heat and add a little more oil if needed before adding the onions and frying for 8-10 minutes until softened. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute or two. Add the harissa paste a fry for 1 minute  more, stirring to combine before adding the tinned tomatoes. 

Bring the sauce to a steady simmer and cook for 5 minutes before adding the chickpeas, stirring to combine. Season to taste. Add the meatballs, pressing them into the sauce then place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

To serve, divide the meatballs and sauce between shallow bowls and serve with flatbreads, if you like.