Billy Goat Balls
These meatballs were inspired by the ingredients often found in a goat cheese tart—pungent chevre, fresh thyme, and caramelized onions. Goat meat has a flavor a bit like lamb, but gamier. Like most game meat, goat tends to be very lean, so it is important to add fat to avoid a dry meatball, and here the goat cheese delivers that fat, along with generous flavor. Try ground lamb if goat is unavailable. Serve these with Classic Tomato Sauce (page 56).
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch meatballs
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Step 2
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the thyme. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes until nicely browned. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Step 3
Combine the cooled onion mixture with the paprika, red pepper flakes, goat cheese, ground goat meat, bread crumbs, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Step 4
Roll the mixture into round, golf ball–size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Step 5
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Step 6
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.
