A Somewhat Unplanned, but Very Delicious, Complete Sunday Lunch: Beef Meat Balls with Baby Potato salad and Caramelized Vegetables

I had ordered minced meat and baby potatoes from my flying vendor because I initially wanted to prepare a meat loaf with rosemary potatoes. Unfortunately, the weather forecast hadn’t mentioned any high temperatures, but they were entirely wrong. So it was absolutely out of question to heat our oven and let it run for the time that a meat loaf would take to be done. So what to do?

After some thinking, I came up with the following: Meatballs with a fresh potato salad and caramelized vegetables.

Let’s see what I used for our lunch:

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

• 2 scallions
• 500 g baby potatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 4 tablespoons oil
• Salt, pepper, curry powder and paprika powder to taste

For the vegetables:

• 250 g Brussels sprouts, baby cabbage or other baby greens (I used Ciwi, but interestingly, this time, they looked more like baby cabbage than like Brussels sprouts)
• 4 – 5 tablespoons oil for frying
• 5 tablespoons honey

For the meatballs:

• 700 g minced beef meat
• 4 tablespoons panko or breadcrumbs (you can also use a slice of toast with the crust cut off)
• 100 ml water (here, you can use milk, if you want)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 5 shallots
• curry powder, paprika powder, salt and pepper to taste
• About 150 ml oil for frying

Preparation:

Firstly, let’s start by preparing the vegetables. To do so, wash and clean them, then cut them into small slices.

Next, blanch them in boiling salted water for a few minutes, until they are pretty soft and have a beautiful, strong, green colour.

Pour them onto a sieve to get rid of all the water, and set aside. It’s a good idea to cover them with a plate so that they stay a bit warm.

Next, wash the baby potatoes, and cook them in boiling water for about 12 to 14 minutes, until they are done. Drain the water, and place them inside a bowl. Cut all the potatoes into halves.

Wash and peel the scallions, and cut them into thin slices. Mix them with the oil and vinegar, add the parsley and season with curry powder, paprika powder, salt and pepper to taste, to prepare a vinaigrette.

Toss the vinaigrette onto the baby potatoes, mix everything well, and place the bowl inside your fridge to cool down.

Then, prepare the meatballs. First, add the panko to a small bowl and pour the water over it. Let sit for about 10 minutes, until the panko has absorbed the water.

Peel the garlic and the shallots, and cut them into very small cubes.

Then place the minced beef in a bowl. Add the soaked panko and the garlic and shallot cubes, season generously with curry powder, paprika powder, salt and pepper and mix everything well until it becomes like some sort of meat dough.

I usually use my hands for that because it works best, but you should also be able to do it with a spatula. When using your hands, it’s best to squish the mixture through your fingers, then turning your hand, and squishing again. Repeat that many times. That way, all the ingredients mix very well.

Divide the meat dough into about 15 small portions*. Take each portion, roll and press it between your hands to form a dense ball, and place on a sheet of baking paper.

Next, heat the frying oil in a frying-pan or wok, and fry the meatballs until they are well done. I usually do this in batches of 4 to 5, and keep the finished meatballs warm in a plastic bowl, which I cover with a lid or aluminium foil.

While you are frying the meatballs, heat the oil in another frying-pan, and add the baby vegetable slices. Stir-fry for a few minutes at a high temperature before adding the honey, and caramelizing the vegetables for a few minutes more. Be careful not to burn the honey.

Take the potatoes out of the fridge, and serve them together with the meatballs and baby vegetables.

Enjoy!

My family loved the combination of the slightly sweet, caramelized vegetables with the fresh taste of the vinaigrette on the baby potatoes, and the juicy meatballs. It was perfect for our hot temperatures.

How about you, what would have been your “hot weather” alternative to the meat loaf if you have to use the meat since your freezer is full to the brim?

I’m very curious about your ideas, and already looking forward to reading from you in the comments.

* a few of the meatballs weren’t devoured at lunch, but I put them into an airtight container in the fridge, and we enjoyed them the next day, sliced, with mustard and a slice of cheese inside a sandwich. They tasted great in this occasion, too.