Albondigas

 

Another coveted Spanish tapa, Albondigas are immaculately spiced meatballs that our skewered and typically served with an exotic sauce of some kind. The kick these meatballs provide is due to the lamb merguez (or just ground lamb), giving an earthy flavor that helps differentiate them from the spherical Italian-American meatloafs that many people are no doubt familiar with. The meat used is rarely too lean, so, in my experience, cooking these things is usually a greasy affair. Nevertheless, there’s barely anyone who isn’t charmed by this Andalusian foodstuff (unless their dietary concerns preclude it), which might explain why, upon my completing this recipe for the first time, they were consumed in their entirety.