“Paleo” Meatballs, with recipe

My brother has some huge meatballs. He had the audacity to tell me this morning that his pork/beef blend needs no breadcrumbs. Meatballs with nothing but healthy ingredients? If you’re Italian, you may want to stop reading.

I knew I had to check this out, so I went for another stroll to the grocery store, dog in tow. (This time, my phone ran out of batteries. What is the universe trying to tell me?) After selecting my ingredients, the woman bagging my groceries asked me what I was making. When I told her I was preparing meatballs with fresh shiitake mushrooms and minced sweet potatoes in place of breadcrumbs or flour, she said “oh, Paleo style?” I don’t label my eating routine with a title, but my brother has been using the terminology so I was in the loop. With a smile and absolute certainty, I said “yup” and felt pretty cool leaving the store.

I’ve been trying recently to maintain an open mind when it comes to new recipes. If you’ve been following the blog, you’re acutely aware that I prepare large quantities of food ahead of time. Usually my cooking is done on Sundays, so the timing of my brother’s suggestion was right on cue.

As of this moment, my oven is stuffed with balls of joy, and the timer on my now freshly charged phone is counting down the minutes. Stay tuned.

Okay, I’m back. These turned out perfectly cooked and juicy. There’s a pop of savory flavor from the fish sauce and tomato combo. The sweet potato provides a nice bite, with just a tad of spice from the pepper and cilantro. The only adjustment I’ll make next time is to mince those sweet potatoes into the tiniest possible slivers so they cook through completely. Mine were slightly chunky and could stand to be halved.

Enjoy,

Kap

My brother Jeremy’s meatballs, exactly as he sent them to me in an email:

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• ¾ cup minced sweet potato
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1½ tablespoons Red-Boat fish sauce (you should be able to get this at Whole Foods)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Kosher salt (don’t use table salt)-start with a teaspoon and adjust next time if necessary
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• oil for the pan (I use coconut because I love the taste)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Line a baking sheet with foil
3. Mix everything EXCEPT oil in a bowl
4. Oil the foil covered baking sheet
5. Make meatballs (about tablespoon size) and arrange on the baking sheet
6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes