Here’s our favorite holiday party or weeknight dinner recipe because it’s so easy and delicious, Fox Trot Farm Lamb Meatballs in Cranberry Pinot Noir Sauce. Perfect timing, too, since our own ground lamb will be on sale for $5.99 a pound through Christmas or until sold out. Give me a call (803-804-3541) or stop in on Sunday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 when our farm market is open.

Cranberry Pinot Noir Lamb Meatballs

Ingredients

2 pounds Fox Trot Farm pasture-raised ground lamb
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (not dry)
1/2 cup finely minced celery
1/2 cup finely minced onion
2 large Fox Trot Farm brown or blue eggs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cranberry Pinot Noir sauce (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375º and lightly oil a large shallow baking dish or sheet pan.
Combine ground lamb, bread crumbs, celery, onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper; mix well.
Shape meat mixture into 24 balls (about 1 1/2″ each).
Place in single layer in baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Cranberry Pinot Noir Sauce
1 (16-oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Pinot Noir 
2 teaspoons hot Chinese mustard, or regular yellow mustard
Slurry made of corn starch and a little water (about 1 tablespoon corn starch and 1/4 cup of water)

Mix sauce ingredients in large saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add browned meatballs and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring the slurry into the sauce the last few minutes. 

On the day I made these for this blog post, I had both ovens full of fruitcakes, so I browned the meatballs in a skillet. This takes a bit more attention. See how pretty they are? Wait till you smell the aroma of them cooking!

After you’ve browned the meatballs and cooked them through, this is how they look when you first add them to the sauce after you add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Just simmer slowly, stirring frequently, till the sauce is thick and the meatballs are evenly coated. Transfer to a chafing dish or crock pot…or straight to your plate!

Meatballs in Cranberry Pinot Noir Sauce

Let us help you make your holiday season extra delicious with our Fox Trot Farm products and recipes. 🙂

Ho Ho Ho, EIEIO!
Debbie