All Roads Lead to the Kitchen: radishes

Lamb sausage = tasty. Hearty veg-laden green curry = magnificent. Both combined = meh.

I thought this was going to be a brilliant combo. Turns out I was incorrect. Ha! I mean, it wasn't inedible or anything, but in my head, I pictures such dazzling results. I imaged a meal that I'd be raving about for the rest of the day. I'm not exactly sure "why"...but so goes life. We decided to forge a little lamb sausage this month over at forging fromage and that is how these little sausage meatballs came to be. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my lamb sausage after I'd made it. Links would have been ideal, but I didn't order any casings, so that was out of the question. So, I thought perhaps patties placed atop the radish salad suggested in our forging fromage challenge. But I'm not too fond of just radish greens raw and alone. I suppose I could have combined it with other lettuces and green, but... I do however love any type of green once cooked. And then I thought green curry and couldn't get it out of my head...so I thought...why not!?

Well, I thought the combo of the potatoes with the chickpeas and radish greens tasted brilliant, but the sausage didn't end up "fitting". I will definitely eat this curry again, but next time I will bulk-up on all of the veggies. Really, I'd eat the sausage again, as well...just in a different application.

Lamb Sausage

adapted from Live to Cook by Michael Symon

yield: 1 lb.

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbs. shallot, minced

olive oil

¾ lb. lamb shoulder

¼ lb. pork fatback

1 tsp. smoked paprika

scant tsp. cayenne

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. hatch chile powder

½ Tbs. kosher salt

¼ tsp. sugar

Sweat garlic & shallots in a little bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat until translucent, ~2 minutes. Cool completely. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Grind in a meat grinder, or pulse in batches in a food processor. Chill for ~30 minutes. Stuff into casings, or form into patties, etc. Keeps, refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Potato, Chickpea, & Radish Greens Curry w/ Lamb Sausage

from the kitchen of girlichef

serves ~4-6

1 lb. lamb sausage, formed into ~32 mini-meatballs
(or make it a meatless curry and bulk up the veggies!)

1 sm. onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 jalapeño, sliced thinly

2 heaping Tbs. green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)

2 small potatoes, diced small (peel if you wish)

1 c. cooked chickpeas

3 c. water (or use ½ coconut milk)
2-3 big handfuls radish greens (sub other greens, if you wish)

salt, to taste

radishes, sliced thin to garnish

cilantro, to garnish

yogurt, to garnish

Heat a little glug of olive oil in a large, deep-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and sauté until browned all the way around (at which time, they should also be cooked through), ~7-8 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and add onion, garlic, & jalapeños. Sauté another couple of minutes, stirring, until softened.

Stir in the curry paste, then add potatoes, chickpeas, and water (& coconut milk, if using). Raise heat and bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to a simmer and let bubble gently for 5 minutes. Stir in radish greens, partially cover again and continue to bubble gently for another 10 minutes or so. The sauce should have thickened at this point. Remove from heat and taste then adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.

Serve with radish slices, cilantro, and yogurt to garnish.