Minted Lamb Meatballs with Asparagus

This recipe for minted lamb meatballs with asparagus and greens from Daylesford Farm is bright and fresh, ready for spring.

"Packed with fresh herbs and bright greens, this recipe is all about celebrating some of our favourite spring and early summer ingredients. Serve with brown rice or crushed Jersey Royal new potatoes doused with lemon and olive oil. Alternatively, it’s also delicious over fresh pasta – just replace the minted yoghurt with finely grated parmesan."

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• ½ an onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 500g organic lamb mince
• 10g parsley, finely chopped
• 10g mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 25g fine breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp salt
• Generous twist of black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

For the greens:

• 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
• 4 spring onions, chopped into 1.5cm thick pieces on an angle
• 2 whole sprigs thyme
• 200ml chicken stock
• Zest of ½ a lemon
• Pinch of salt
• Twist of pepper
• 175g asparagus, chopped into 1.5cm thick pieces on an angle
• 100g peas, fresh or frozen
• 5g mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 10g parsley

For the minted yoghurt:

• 150g organic natural yoghurt
• Generous pinch of salt
• Twist of black pepper
• Zest of ½  a lemon
• 2 tsps lemon juice
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 8g mint leaves, finely chopped

Method

1. Begin by making the meatballs. Put the onion and garlic into a pan over a medium heat and sautée with the olive oil for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Transfer to a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Using your hands, mix everything together until thoroughly combined. Take about a teaspoonful of the mixture and shape into something similar in size to a ping-pong ball. Set to one side, then repeat with the remainder of the mixture.
2. Heat a shallow frying pan and place in half of the meatballs – you shouldn’t need to add extra oil. Brown quickly on all sides before transferring to a bowl; repeat with the remaining meatballs and set the bowl to one side.
3. Next, prepare your greens. Return the pan to the heat and add the garlic, spring onions and thyme, and sautée with the fat residue from the lamb for 3-4 minutes. Add the stock, lemon zest, salt and a good twist of pepper. Return the meatballs to the pan (discard any fat that has gathered at the bottom of the bowl) and simmer with a lid on the pan for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the minted yoghurt by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl and stirring together.
5. Remove the lid from the meatballs, and add the asparagus and the peas. Simmer for a further 3 minutes until the asparagus has just softened. Stir in the chopped mint, parsley and lemon juice. Serve warm with the minted yoghurt and your chosen accompaniments.

Serves 4

At Daylesford, we've been farming organically for over 35 years. What began as a simple passion for real food, and a desire to feed our children better, has grown into Daylesford as we know it today, one of the most sustainable organic farms in the UK.

Each step of our journey is made with a conscience and a love for food.

Visit daylesford.com/recipes for seasonal inspiration. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@daylesfordfarm).