ROTW, Week 9: Greek Inspired Meatballs

Hello!  This week, I am going to be MIA after this post, because...its moving week!**  Oh how I loathe moving: the packing, the inevitably needing something 1 day after packing it away, the husband swearing as he stubs his toe constantly while moving through piles of boxes (I swear, the man has absolutely NO CONCEPT OF HOW LARGE HE IS.)  Add to this fun that I have a lot of client work going on right now, and you get a recipe for disaster.

So: here is this weeks recipe.  Take it and be grateful.

Greek Inspired Meatballs - this one is from my head.  Please to enjoy :)
May I suggest that you serve them with the warm couscous salad I mention here?

For the meatballs:
1lbs-ish lean ground beef (perhaps would have been more appropriate to use lamb, but we used beef because we had beef.)
1 shallot (I have just realized that we forgot this from our meatballs, and that explains why their texture felt off to me.)
2 cloves garlic
handful mint leaves (fresh), chopped
handful oregano leaves (fresh), chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp fresh ground pepper
1 egg
3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 white balsamic vinegar (which I used because i have some.  NO idea what to substitute for this except maybe white wine vinegar)

Combine the beef, shallot, garlic, half of the chopped herbs, and salt and pepper in a bowl, mix well, and cover with plastic wrap.  Place the bowl in the fridge to let the flavors mingle, at least 30 minutes but preferably 2-3 hours.

Pulse remaining herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and vinegar in a food processor.  Set aside for use as brushing sauce.

Remove the bowl from the fridge, and add the egg and breadcrumbs.  Gently form into 2inch meatballs.  Heat a large skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, and add the meatballs.  Carefully brown the meatballs on all sides so they don't break apart, 5-6 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium low, brush with lemon juice and herb dressing every few minutes to keep the meatballs nice and moist, and continue to cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until the inside registers desired doneness on a meat thermometer.

Serve with couscous salad, fresh grilled vegetables, as the main event in an over-the-top Greek salad, or anything else that strikes your fancy.



** I love how I pretend that I post regularly.  Hahaha.**