Not so big, not so easy, but delicious nonetheless! These mini balls deliver the spirit and soul of one of the greatest food cities in the world—New Orleans. Down there, they make jambalaya a hundred different ways, and after a trip to Jazz Fest, we decided to try our hands at a NOLA-inspired ball. The results of our improv definitely sing—with all the essential Creole notes that surround the pork, chicken, sausage, and shrimp. While these balls are great solo, they also pair well with Classic Tomato Sauce (page 56).

　　

Ingredients

Makes about forty 3/4-inch meatballs

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 pound ground pork

　　1 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat

　　1/2 pound andouille sausage, finely diced

　　1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and finely diced

　　3 cups cooked long-grain white rice

　　1 small red onion, finely diced

　　1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and finely diced

　　2 large eggs

　　1/2 cup bread crumbs

　　2 tablespoons tomato paste

　　1 garlic clove, minced

　　1 tablespoon sweet paprika

　　1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

　　Pinch of cayenne pepper

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 12 × 17-inch rimmed baking sheet and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

Combine the ground pork, ground chicken, sausage, shrimp, rice, onions, bell peppers, eggs, bread crumbs, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

　　

Step 3

Roll the mixture into round, 3/4-inch meatballs, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

　　

Step 4

Roast for 14 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.

　　

Step 5

Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation.Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick.Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.