Ginger-Garlic Yak Meatballs with Herb Yogurt Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Potatoes, and Garlicky Greens
Tender grass-fed yak meatballs fragrant with ginger, garlic, cumin, and cilantro, served with a cool, herby yogurt sauce, cumin-roasted cauliflower and potatoes, and garlicky sautéed greens. A simple, satisfying weeknight dinner that comes together in about an hour.
Yield: Serves 4 (about 20 meatballs) · Active: 30 min · Total: 1 hr · Best in North America from fall through early spring, when cauliflower and hearty greens are at their peak · Best eaten: early evening
What is yak? Yaks are shaggy, long-haired cattle that have lived on the high plateaus of the Himalayas and Tibet for thousands of years, and today they're also raised on small ranches across the U.S. Mountain West. Yak meat tastes like a sweeter, milder beef, with no strong gamey flavor, and it's naturally very lean and rich in protein, iron, zinc, and B12.
Can't find yak? Ground bison, elk, grass-fed beef, or lamb all work beautifully in this recipe. Bison and elk are just as lean, so the cooking time stays the same; beef and lamb are richer and juicier.
Where to buy: Look for small U.S. ranches and farms that sell direct, at farmers' markets, or through specialty online meat purveyors, and ask how the animals were raised: on pasture, with no added hormones or antibiotics.
Ingredients
Yak meatballs
1 lb grass-fed ground yak (or bison, elk, grass-fed beef, or lamb)
1 pasture-raised egg
½ small onion, finely grated (with its juices, which keeps the lean meat moist)
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp ghee, melted
¾ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Herb yogurt sauce
1 cup thick sheep's or goat's milk yogurt (or whole-milk yogurt)
¼ cup fresh cilantro or mint (or a mix), finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, grated
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Cumin-roasted cauliflower and potatoes
½ head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges
3 tbsp ghee or extra virgin olive oil, melted
1 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
½ tsp ground turmeric
¾ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Garlicky greens
1 large bunch kale, spinach, or Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 tbsp ghee
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt and a squeeze of lemon
Method
Roast the vegetables. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the cauliflower and potatoes with the ghee, cumin, turmeric, and salt, and roast 30–35 minutes, flipping once, until golden and crisp at the edges.
Make the sauce. Stir everything together and chill until serving.
Make the meatballs. Gently mix everything with your hands, just until combined, and shape into 1¼-inch balls. (Wet hands keep the mixture from sticking.) Lower the oven to 400°F and roast the meatballs on a parchment-lined pan 12–15 minutes, until browned and 160°F in the center. Pull them right away so they stay juicy.
Sauté the greens. Warm the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the greens and salt. Toss until just wilted, and finish with lemon.
Plate. Pile the roasted cauliflower and potatoes and the greens onto each plate, add the meatballs, and spoon the herb yogurt sauce over the top, with extra herbs and a lemon wedge.
Storage: Meatballs, up to 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen; yogurt sauce, up to 3 days; vegetables, up to 4 days.
Nourishment Notes: Grass-fed yak brings lean complete protein, heme iron, zinc, B12, and CLA. Sheep's and goat's milk yogurt brings protein, calcium, and live cultures (it's never heated here). Cauliflower offers glucosinolates and choline. Leafy greens bring vitamin K, folate, magnesium, and calcium. Ginger, garlic, cumin, and turmeric are traditionally used to support digestion.
For your cycle: Yak's heme iron and zinc make this especially restorative during the menstrual phase, and ginger is well studied for easing menstrual cramps.
Sourcing
Ground yak — 100% grass-fed, from a small U.S. yak ranch (many are in Colorado and Montana) or a specialty meat purveyor (or grass-fed bison, elk, beef, or lamb)
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised
Cauliflower, potatoes, greens, onion, garlic, ginger, herbs, and lemons — organic, from a farmers' market
Yogurt — organic, plain, and full-fat, with live cultures; Bellwether Farms sheep's milk yogurt, or a local dairy
Spices (cumin, turmeric, black peppercorns) — organic and non-irradiated
Ghee — grass-fed ghee, or homemade from organic grass-fed butter
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall