Lamb-Rosemary Paddies

Nicole here again, this time creating hand made hor d'oeuvres in celebration for St. Patrick's Day on March 17th.  Lamb-Rosemary Paddies are perfect for this occasion as they are made with ground lamb and can truly hold their own with a fine cold beverage. The sharp cheeses makes these lamb paddies moist and flavourful. The garnish in its presentation is important, as it not only indicates what herbs are integrated into the appetizer, it also allows your guests to quickly pick up a morsel of food and continue mingling with other guests. 

Serve with a prepared jar of mint jelly or spiced-fig chutney and watch them disappear!


Alcohol Pairing:

Beer: Pale Ale

Wine: VQA/VAQ Pinot Noir

Yields: 20-22 ,1-inch lamb meat paddies

What you Need:

1 lbs. fresh ground lamb

3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tbsp. coarsely chopped rosemary

1 tbsp. chopped thyme

1 egg

1/3 cup sweet red onion

1 tsp. dried fennel seed

½ tsp. course sea salt

½ tsp. black ground pepper

½ cup of Pecorino-Crotonese & grated Parmesan cheeses (you can also opt for a soft goat cheese)

1-2 tbsp. olive oil for frying pan

Rosemary sprigs for presentation & garnish 

Please note: Pecorino-Crotonese is a hard and flavourful goat cheese. If you opt for a soft goat cheese its tanginess and sharpness will change your wine pairing. Should you opt to change the cheese, try a Beaujolais with these lamb paddies. 

This recipe is a definite crowd pleaser- I would opt to double or triple the amount and serve as hor d’oeuvres with a beverage. 

How to Make it Happen

  

1. Preheat the oven to 360 degrees and lightly grease 1-2 baking trays.
2. In a bowl, mix the ground lamb, chopped garlic, onion, coarsely chopped rosemary, thyme, dried fennel seed, salt & pepper and egg together until the ingredients are combined.
3. Incorporate the cheeses together into the ground meat mixture. This will add moisture to the lamb paddies. 
4. Chill in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour to allow the meat to marinate with all of the flavours.   
5. Remove the ground meat mixture from the refrigerator and form into one inch paddies (bite size meat balls). Lightly fry in a frying pan on medium heat in small batches until the exterior has a lovely brown crust (3-4 minutes).

   

   Form the mixture into one inch (bite size) paddies

6. The paddies will not be cooked thoroughly through. Now place them on a prepared, greased baking tray and continue to bake at 360 degrees for 10-12 minutes to complete their cooking.

   

   Place paddies on a baking tray and continue to cook in the oven

7. Allow the paddies to cool before garnishing with rosemary sprigs. Serve with a prepared jar of mint jelly or spiced-fig chutney and watch them disappear!