American Lamb Meatballs in Fragrant Indian Curry Sauce
Recipe provided by Andrea Slonecker, courtesy of the American Lamb Board (American Lamb Meatballs in Fragrant Indian Curry Sauce | American Lamb).
Preheat the broiler with a rack positioned about 4 inches from the heating element.
In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, paneer, half of the mint, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 tablespoon of the garlic, the ginger, 2 teaspoons of the garam masala, and 1 teaspoon salt. Roll the mixture into 16 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil the meatballs, turning occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato paste, and chili powder and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, turmeric, and cumin, and cook, stirring often, until the bottom of the pot begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and stir to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the meatballs and bring to a simmer. Cook at a gentle simmer until sauce the thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the remaining mint and garam masala. Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice with more mint and almonds to garnish.
