# My coworkers like the taste of Chefguy's spicy balls! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071 "2016-09-27T20:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/1 "2016-09-27T20:12:30Z")
Last February I spontaneously made Jambalaya for the office in the company’s kitchen. TPTB decided it would be fun to have quarterly luncheons, hosted by teams of staff. The second quarterly staff-hosted luncheon was yesterday, and I was on the team. It was decided to do a Greek(-ish) theme. The guy who chose the theme had his wife make spanakopita. I made falafel and brought in stuff for pita pockets. And, on a whim, I made ‘lamb nugets’ using **Chefguy** ’s recipe. > [@Chefguy](#): > > 1 pound ground lamb > 4 cloves garlic, minced > 3 TBSP minced onion > 1/4 cup chopped cilantro > 1 TBSP ground coriander > 1 tsp cumin > 1/2 tsp cinnamon > 1/2 tsp ground allspice > 1/4 tsp cayenne > 1/4 tsp ground mustard > 1/4 tsp pepper > salt > > And ya mix 'em all tagedda. I tripled the recipe and made two-ounce, oblong, ‘nuggets’. (And yes, I weighed them. OCD kicked in…) Three pounds of lamb plus all of the other stuff yielded exactly 29 spicy balls. Mrs. L.A. and I sampled the odd one. She is not a fan of lamb, but she said it was good. If _she_ liked it, then I felt confident the office would. At the end of lunch, there were only four lamb balls remaining. Success! As for the falafel, they liked that as well. I used [Osem falafel mix](https://www.amazon.com/Osem-Falafel-Mix-Ounce-Pack/dp/B000S671XU). Since I’d bought the case, I shared packets with my boss and two coworkers. (I used three packets for the luncheon.) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/2 "2016-09-27T20:50:54Z")
But were the Schweddy? ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/3 "2016-09-27T21:02:58Z")
Hey, everybody, have you seen my balls? They’re big and spicy and brown. If you ever need a quick pick me up; just put my balls in your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/4 "2016-09-27T23:09:06Z")
I did pull a boner. The recipe said ‘minced onions’. I was a bit exhausted, and my brain said ‘_dehydrated_ minced onions’! :eek: I didn’t have nine tablespoons, so I used all I had (about six tablespoons) when I mixed up the spices beforehand. Fortunately, I realised my mistake, and mixed up a fresh batch of spices for the dish. Only now, I have enough spices for three pounds of lamb, all mixed up with dehydrated onions! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/5 "2016-09-27T23:26:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I did pull a boner. Well, that does take balls, alright. You can also add pine nuts to the mix, if desired. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/6 "2016-09-28T13:36:46Z")
Go easy on the salt. No one likes their balls to be too salty or else no one will taste them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-coworkers-like-the-taste-of-chefguys-spicy-balls/767071/7 "2016-09-28T16:11:34Z")
I used a half-teaspoon of kosher salt for three pounds of lamb.