From when I first opened My Paris Kitchen, I noticed this recipe. Maybe it was the Sriracha. Maybe it was the picture of the author eating a sandwich on the street. Or maybe it was the lengthy story that went with it. I don’t know. What I do know is that I wanted to make it, and was pleased to see it come up on our calendar now.
Apparently this is a riff on an iconic merguez sandwich found in Paris. This version relies on a homemade “sausage” made into meatballs. The sauce is a simple combination of mayo and Sriracha. The recipe notes that you can use ground lamb, beef, or a combination of both – and notes this should not be lean. I chose lamb because I can get it locally, and I was pleased to find out that it had been freshly ground so that was my pick.
This ended up being a weeknight recipe, and I forgot to take pictures – but really, there wasn’t a lot to see. A lot of spices (coriander, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, allspice, sumac, paprika), along with salt, Sriracha, garlic and chopped cilantro. That all gets mixed together, then the lamb was mixed in. I let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour (the recipe says it can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days – I thought that a little rest couldn’t hurt).
We had the option to bake or fry – I thought that baking (and only for 12-15 minutes!) seemed like a lot easier way to go – especially since I could put them on parchment. So I used a scoop to make the balls pretty even, and put them on the sheet. I was very pleasantly surprised that they didn’t put out a lot of grease, and they cooked nicely in the short time. Despite the short cooking time, they had a nice brown crust.
I was probably fixated on the picture of David eating a sandwich on the street – and while, if I thought about it – that was probably a baguette – I thought that Naan would be a great wrapper. I couldn’t get the small ones that I like – so sufficed with the larger ones. Heated on a grill, they are my favorite wrapper – including for hot dogs! Anyway, I served these a couple of ways – “deconstructed” as shown below..
and as a sandwich, as shown here.
Both worked great. And I sort of deconstructed the sandwich to eat it anyway. 🙂
These were a big hit. The sauce was terrific. I probably used a little less Sriracha to match my crew’s tolerance, but otherwise, everything was wonderful and tasty. Not a bite left!
I was surprised that they meatballs definitely tasted like “sausage”, so I think that he got the recipe right in re-creating at home. I didn’t taste the lamb very much, and was a little sorry about that – but I also thought that it was probably better than ground beef would be. Maybe a bit chunkier grind. The texture was terrific. The flavor was great. We didn’t miss any frying (or the mess after), and loved the sauce. I definitely could see these as an appetizer as well – as actually recommended in the recipe. All in all, a big hit. It was fun to make something where I really didn’t know what to expect. You can find out what other bloggers thought of this weeks recipe at Cook the Book Fridays.
dulceshome 
Hi Candy! I’ve started baking my Italian meatballs too. Once my sister turned me onto that, I make them much more often. I was thinking these would be great rolled up in a sandwich. I have some leftovers, so maybe I should pick up some pita. I’m glad you and your crew enjoyed these. Me too.
Looking good, your baked meatballs. Must try baking the next time cos that first picture is encouraging, not much fat.
Your lamb meatballs look so scrumptious with juices oozing out. Loving them!
Your baked meatballs really look good. I fried mine because I only had about 18. Tricia’s son was on his way over and I wanted him to try them and thought that was quicker.
Something about great minds, Candy. I did find the small Naans and made the meatballs into a wrap smothered in sauce. Have had for both a lunch and dinner. Ate a meatball or 3 or 4 right out of the oven but ate the rest as wraps. Froze half the batch. I hadn’t looked forward to making this recipe but it’s right up there with my favorites. I used lamb. No, the spices overwhelmed the lamb-i-ness taste but that was fine, I thought. The sauce calmed down the spice in the meatballs. Cannot wait to make these for friends. (No, selfish me, I didn’t share these with anyone.) Happy Labor Day Week-end. A well-deserved 3-day vacation for you, I hope.
You and Mary may have won on serving ideas this round. I REALLY want these with naan, now! I agree with you about baking these. I hate frying things like meatballs. It makes such a mess and can make things greasier than I’d like. When things come out of the oven perfectly cook, why mess up the stovetop?
NICE with the naan! Add a little tomato and lettuce and daaaaaaang! I also did the oven thing–so convenient! I agree about the lamb being better. I did half and half with my first round, but made an all-lamb round for a party yesterday. Lamb won hands down. not that it was bad with beef, but it had better texture with all lamb.
Such a good idea to add the naan bread! oh and don´t get me started on the photo with the meatballs baked with the juices! Yummmmmm!
Looks so good! What did the world ever do before sriracha sauce became well known!