Fightin’ Irish Balls

Name: Fightin’ Irish Balls
Yield: Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch meatballs
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 1/2 pounds cooked corned beef, finely chopped; 1/2 pound ground pork; 2 cups Mashed Potatoes (page 79), at room temperature; 1 cup finely diced green cabbage; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

January 24, 2012

At the shop we think all holidays deserve their own meatball. In New York City, Saint Patrick’s Day is a big deal, celebrated with a major parade, and so of course a meatball was born. These are a clever twist on the usual corned beef and cabbage pairing, and they were so popular that now we serve them throughout the year. We’re not fans of artificial coloring but we suppose you could even dye them green if you wanted to. We love to serve them with Mashed Potatoes (page 79) and Mushroom Gravy (page 63).

Recipe information

Yield
Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch meatballs

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds cooked corned beef, finely chopped

1/2 pound ground pork

2 cups Mashed Potatoes (page 79), at room temperature

1 cup finely diced green cabbage

2 large eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Step 2
Combine the corned beef, ground pork, potatoes, cabbage, eggs, bread crumbs, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Step 3
Roll the mixture into round, golf ball–size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Step 4
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Step 5
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation. Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick. Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.

TagsMeatball Irish European Corned Beef Beef Meat Main Dinner Nut Free Gluten Free Roast Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Recipe notes