Week 20, Recipe 1: Roasted Lamb Meatballs with Honey-Rosemary Polenta & Tangy Red Onion & Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

That title is a mouthful, isn't it?  Dang Rach!  Do I really have to know every single ingredient?  Lol.  Recipe from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book.

• 3 slices whole wheat bread, crusts discarded, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for brushing
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
• 1 cup polenta
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, moisten the bread with 1/3 cup chicken broth. Add the lamb, egg, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Form the mixture into 8 meatballs. Brush with EVOO and set 2 inches apart on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook it off, 1 minute. Stir in 2/3 cup chicken broth, then the tomatoes. Bring the sauce just to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 2 cups chicken broth and the milk to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, lower the heat and cook, whisking, until the polenta is thick but spoonable, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the honey, butter, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. If it gets too thick, add water or more milk.
4. Spoon the polenta into bowls; top with the meatballs and sauce.
   
   Results: SUPER YUMMY!!!!  I served mine with a side of spinach sauteed in garlic.  I also cooked the meatballs 19 minutes because they still looked a little wet after 15 minutes.