I came up with this recipe last Sunday while stumbling around the kitchen trying to make something more interesting than a ground beef salad for Young Kenneth. I’ve always loved meatballs and they are certainly better on top of a bed of greens than plain ground beef. The key to this recipe is the depth of flavor from the caramelized onions and sweet potatoes. The addition of Dukkah, an Egyptian nut and seed blend full of fennel and sesame flavors, further intensifies the flavors, helping to create a truly exceptional meatball. I found my Dukkah at Trader Joe’s for around $4 and it has quickly become my go-to topping on salads. If you haven’t had Dukkah before you’re missing out! Here’s my method for caramelized onion and sweet potato meatballs. Did I mention they are Paleo approved?

Essential Elements:

3 T coconut oil

3 T pastured butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, small dice

1 egg

3 T Dukkah (I purchased mine at Trader Joe’s)

Zest of 1 lemon

2 T flat leaf parsley, minced

1 Lb. ground beef (80/20)

1 medium sweet potato peeled and shredded (about 1 cup)

salt and pepper

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Now get your onions nice and caramelized. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a pan set to medium-high heat. Once your oil has melted add in the diced onions. The trick to perfect caramelization is to heat the onions on high for 5 minutes, releasing most of the moisture. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for another 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. The onions should be caramel is color (duh!).

In a separate pan heat another tablespoon of butter and oil over medium heat. Add in the shredded sweet potatoes and saute until they begin to change color and are slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Let the onions and sweet potatoes cool (I stuck mine in the fridge for a few minutes) before adding them to the rest of your ingredients.

Once the sweet potatoes and onions have cooled, place them in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix well, making sure everything is equally incorporated.

Now for the fun part, making your meatballs. Roll the mixture between your hands forming 1 1/2 inch balls (about the size of a ping pong ball). You can make them bigger or smaller depending on what you’re using them for. The 1 1/2 inch size works well as and appetizer served with a toothpick. You’ll be browning the meatballs in batches before finishing them in the oven so I lined mine up on a baking sheet covered with a Silpat.

Heat your remaining oil and butter in a pan on medium-high heat, add 1/2 your meatballs and brown on both sides. About 2 minutes a side until golden brown. Flip your meatballs very carefully–I found using tongs to be the best method. Once brown, return them to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining meatballs. Place meatballs on the center rack of the oven for 12 minutes. They should be firm, but not dry.

Yesterday I served mine on a bed of mixed greens with some fresh avocado, shredded carrots and a simple mustard based vinaigrette and it was delicious. They are also a fantastic appetizer and were quite the hit at Young Kenneth’s birthday on Tuesday. I made the meatball mixture ahead of time and rolled out the balls, then stored them in the fridge until I was ready to brown and bake them. My mother in law had the idea of using this recipe for a meat loaf and I think that could be good as well. Whatever method of execution you choose I highly suggest making these at your earliest opportunity. Trust me, you’ll thank me!

xoxo,

Jenn