Jim Lahey keeps these moist by adding grated boiled potato.
Recipe information
Total Time
50 minutes
Yield
Makes about 30 meatballs
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat broiler. Stir first 3 ingredients in a small dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic and slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Let cool; transfer to spice mill. Place chile on a baking sheet and broil, watching closely to prevent burning, just until it begins to puff up, about 1 minute. Cut chile in half; discard seeds and stem. Add chile (or ground chipotle chiles) to spice mill with toasted seeds; finely grind together.
Step 2
Meanwhile, place potato in a small saucepan; add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Finely grate potato into a large bowl.
Step 3
Add chile mixture, ground lamb, and next 4 ingredients to bowl; mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into tablespoon-size (1"-diameter) meatballs.
Step 4
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs, turning occasionally, until golden all over but still pink in center, about 6 minutes (meatballs will finish cooking on pizza).
