Meatballs like you’ve never seen
If you saw the word “meatballs” in the headline and began fantasizing about a simmering pot of tangy tomato sauce or salty Swedish gravy, you have come to the wrong place.
Let me just come right out and say it: These meatballs are not saucy. Instead, they are lightly spiced, pan-fried with a crunchy exterior.
To further destroy your meatball fantasies, you may also notice the absence of any binding ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, egg or dairy. OK, so really each meatball is more of a round sausage, but I’m still calling them meatballs.
The good news for anyone I might have lost here is that this whole dish (except the yogurt sauce) is made in one skillet. In fact, the success of each component depends on it.
CRISPY MEATBALLS WITH CHICKPEAS AND EGGPLANT
Yield: 4 servings. Total time: 40 minutes.
1½ pounds ground lamb, pork or beef 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed 1 medium eggplant, sliced about ¼-inch thick 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed 1 cup Greek yogurt, labneh or sour cream 3 cups mixed greens
1 cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems 1 lemon, halved
Preparation: Combine meat, fennel seeds, garlic and 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Season with 1½ teaspoons salt and black pepper to taste, and mix until everything is well combined and the spices are evenly distributed.
Using your hands, roll meat mixture into balls about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter, placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. You should have about 12 meatballs.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs — work in batches if your skillet can’t comfortably fit them all without crowding — and cook, gently rotating them occasionally so they more or less brown on all sides while keeping a vaguely round shape,
8 to 10 minutes. After they are evenly browned and cooked through, transfer them to a plate.
Add 4 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, working in batches, if needed, add eggplant slices in an even layer, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook the slices, flipping them once, until they are browned on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add more oil as needed. After eggplant slices are cooked and browned, transfer them to the plate with the meatballs.
Add chickpeas and remaining oil to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, shaking the skillet and stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Season yogurt with salt and pepper and smear onto a large plate or serving platter. Top with meatballs, eggplant and chickpeas. Scatter with greens and cilantro, and then squeeze lemon over everything before serving.