Lamb & almond Meatballs, Grilled eggplant and Goats cheese Salad

(serves 4)

Haven't felt super inspired yet this year, but having friends over sort of forced me to brainstorm and get the creative juices going, a good thing i think?! The lamb and almond meatballs were semi-inspired by CBD's lamb and harissa sausage roll that my friend Lisa used to love, and the rest of this salad was just a bit of a compilation of what was already in the fridge and what was on special this week! Originally i was thinking pan-fried haloumi (next time!) but goats cheese was half-price and always so delicious! 

This salad turned out quite delicious, especially considering I had no internet access so couldn't even browse and compile in my usual style! 

Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 40 min 


Ingredients:
1 eggplant
200g mix lettuce
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes
80g goat cheese

Meatballs
500g lamb mince
1 small brown onion
1/4 C breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 T chopped parsley (4-5 sprigs)
1 T diced almonds (or slivered almonds)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp rosemary
salt, pepper
1/4 C plain flour


Method:
Preparing the meatballs
1. Finely dice the onion and the parsley
2. Put the mince, onion, parsley, almonds and egg into a large mixing bowl. Add the paprika, rosemary, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and mix everything in with your hands.
3. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and lay out a large plate. Roll out meatballs about 3cm in diameter, roll lightly in the flour and dust off and place on the plate. Refrigerate meatballs for about 20-30 min (to keep the shape when you pan-fry it).


Rest of the salad
4. Cut the eggplant into half length-wise, the cut into thin slices. Salt and leave in the fridge for about 20-30min until water particles form on the top.
5. Use paper towels to press the eggplant slices and try to get out as much water as possible. Heat a pan with 1/2 T olive oil, then add the eggplant slices, sprinkle some salt on top and cook for about 5-8 minutes turning occasionally to ensure both sides are slightly crisp. Remove from the pan and leave to drain on paper towels.
6. Keep the pan on medium heat and add the meatballs. Sear the outside, then turn the heat down and let it cook on low heat for 5-8 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure it's cooked. Check it's cooked through by trying one! Drain the cooked meatballs on a paper towel.
7. Dress the salad leaves and cherry tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the eggplant and crumble the goats cheese into the salad.
8. Add in the meatballs and done! You can also crumble the meatballs a little to make it easier to eat...