It’s been awhile since we’ve had a 5 Star Makeover. To recap, our fantastic hosts Natasha of 5 Star Foodie and Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! pick a monthly theme and then participating bloggers get to interpret as we wish. So far we’ve made over bacon and eggs (I did a pizza with Egg, Bacon, and Goat Cheese), sustainable seafood (I made Lobster Salad Stuffed Arepas), gourmet picnic food (my dish was a Banana Bread Sandwich with Chocolate Goat Cheese Spread), the farmers’ market (I made Fresh Garbanzo Bean and Goat Cheese Pate), pizza (I did my version of Chicago Deep Dish), and most recently tailgate food (I did a Pumpkin, Brie, and Pasta Bake that given I have a can of pumpkin stockpiled, I may need to make again.)
I’ve loved these challenges in the past and was bummed the couple of times that life got in the way of participating so I was more than ready for it to come back. Our task this month – meatballs. This was another fun one for me because they are not something I often think to make, but that seem appropriate given that Super Bowl Sunday is almost upon us.
Every year when I was a kid we’d join our neighbors for their annual superbowl party and invariably cocktail meatballs seemed to be among the offerings. Rich and hardy they’d be waiting for us in a crockpot, bobbing in their tangy-sweet sauce. Admittedly I haven’t had one since god knows when so I thought it would be fun to do an updated take.
For my base, I used some duck meat that I had in the freezer and accented it with an ingredient that I’ve been dying to use lately – dates. I loved seeing them used in a savory salad over on Healthy Food For Living and couldn’t wait to incorporate it into a recipe. This one seemed like a natural fit since duck and dates pair so well together. In addition to the standard meatball components of bread crumbs, egg and onion, I also included cooked quinoa, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In my head the flavors sounded like they had the power to be harmonious and fortunately my taste test confirmed this.
Because of all the layers of flavor in the meatballs themselves I kept my sauce simple with two ingredients – Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Ketchup and brown sugar. I’d received the ketchup as a co-worker from my past job and it seemed like a perfect place to put it to good use.
And it was. I loved how the sauce echoed the sweetness of the dates in the meatballs and the spices gave it a vaguely (very vaguely) Middle Eastern-inspired feel. The perfect marriage of my childhood memories and my adult palate.
Yields 26 meatballs
Ingredients:
-Cooking spray
-12 ounces ground duck meat
-2 eggs, lightly beaten
-2/3 cup cooked quinoa
-1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
-2 grated shallots
-3 dates, pitted and minced
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
-1/2 teaspoon worcesterhire sauce
-1 pinch ground ginger
-1 pinch ground nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 cup ketchup
-3/4 cup brown sugar
Method:
Preheat oven to 425. Line a sheet pan tin foil and spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside. Add duck meat through cinnamon to a large bowl and mix with hands until combined. Form into meatballs. (Mixture will be wet so they may not be perfectly round.
Distribute evenly on the sheet pan and cook for 10 minutes or until they have a nice caramel color on the bottom and are just cooked through. (Beware overcooking or meatballs will dry out.)
While meatballs are cooking, heat ketchup and brown sugar in a medium sauce pan, stirring. Cook until brown sugar has dissolved. Gently add meatballs and stir gently to coat with the sauce and serve.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
great use of duck! I’ve been thinking of using it in a chili and I’ve noticed it’s rarely used as ground meat, so it’s nice to see someone else challenging that!
I like your pairing of duck with dates and also great idea to include quinoa. Very nice!
Dates are a surprisingly great ingredient for savory dishes…and I always love what orange zest does to brighten and add a hint of freshness to a rich dish. Well played!
oh my gosh, FABULOUS! I just posted about a date dinner where they paired duck with a vanilla bean date puree and it was quite delicious. great creation!
Duck and dates are such a delicious combo. The simple sauce sounds like a nice compliment too. Great meatballs and very pretty picture!
I can see how this would have a subtle Middle Eastern feeling thanks to the cinnamon. Very creative contribution to the challenge!!
What a beautiful recipe! Duck and dates are a fantastic pairing for sure, and your choice of spices are inspired here! Great job with the challenge
I don’t eat meat – but these sound really interesting! ^^
The incorporation of quinoa and dates to duck tells me you can cook up some fantastic meatballs. Great challenge idea.
What an exotic recipe – I adore duck, and can imagine how well it would pair with sticky dates and those delicious spices. Yummy!
Looks like a few of us were on a waterfowl path… I loved figs with goose… now need to try dates with it… sounds splendid and a perfect thing to spice up a football party…. bring on the toothpicks!
duck and dates sound like a great combination as you said. I like a glaze you have for the meatballs. These meatballs can be additing at a superbowl game next weekend!
What a great pairing of flavors: duck and dates. A very gourmet twist!
How very timely! We were just at a restaurant the other night here in Austin called Haddington’s. One of the items on the menu was duck meatloaf. I don’t eat duck, but it seems to be a trendy ingredient this year.
Mmm, you’ve elevated meatballs to a whole new level – I’d totally order these at a restaurant. They look fabulous!