Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster in Harlem — Helga’s Meatballs RECIPE!
Red Rooster is more than just a restaurant.
Not that the homemade cornbread, Helga’s Meatballs, and Hearth Baked Mac & Greens couldn’t stand on their own, but, in the month since its opening, Red Rooster has become a new center of the Harlem community.
That’s thanks to celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, Harlem resident and owner of the Rooster, whose main goal for the eatery is to be “inclusive, and not exclusive.”
The first order of business for the Top Chef Master was to hire 80 people from the neighborhood to work at the 125th St. and Lenox Ave. venue.
“Living in Harlem, knowing the longstanding history and culture of comfort food, of counter dining, of using a restaurant as a community gathering point, I knew I could add something to that,” says Samuelsson, who previously worked at much higher-end eateries like midtown’s Aquavit.
Samuelsson’s menu reflects the neighborhood it serves. It’s his take on new American comfort food — there’s pulled pork and warm apple pie with a cheddar crust — with a bit of influence from his Swedish upbringing, including naming the meatballs after his grandmother.
“We want everyone here,” he says. “I want the man who works at the post office to come in, the woman who starts her bus route up here, but also be able to host parties for John Legend and Paul McCartney,” which
Samuelsson did before the restaurant opened this month.
“I want everyone who wants to stop by to feel like there is something for them here.”
In addition to kicking off a $17 lunch and a three-beer tasting for $9, Samuelsson will introduce a weekend brunch, where a woman he heard performing in the 125th St. subway station will sing gospel music.
“She was singing like she was performing at the Apollo,” he says. “So I told her to come by the restaurant, where I gave her a gig.”
The restaurant will soon open the door to its downstairs room, which will serve as a late-night hangout for Harlem night crawlers and a performance space for other local artists.
“New York is the city of dreams,” says Samuelsson.
“Who am I to push people out? I want to welcome the community. I got a chance and now I want to give others a chance.”
Recipe: Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster — Helga’s Meatballs
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
Adapted from “Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine” by Marcus Samuelsson, and currently served at Red Rooster Harlem
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
1?2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1?4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1?2 pound ground chuck or sirloin
1?2 pound ground veal
1?2 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup chicken stock
1?2 cup heavy cream
1?4 cup lingonberry preserves
2 tablespoons juice from Samuelsson’s Quick Pickled Cucumbers (may substitute sweet pickle juice)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
FOR SERVING:
Garlic mashed potatoes
Lingonberry preserves
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Instructions
1. PREPARE MEATBALLS: Combine breadcrumbs and heavy cream in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until crumbs are moistened. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 five minutes, until softened. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, veal, pork, onion, honey and egg, and mix well with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add breadcrumb-cream mixture and mix well. With wet hands (to keep mixture from sticking), shape the mixture into meatballs the size of a golf ball, placing them on a plate lightly moistened with water. You should have about 24 meatballs.
4. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs, in batches if necessary; cook, turning frequently, for about 7 minutes till browned on all sides and cooked through. Transfer meatballs to a plate; discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.
5. PREPARE THE SAUCE: Return the skillet to the heat, whisk in the stock, cream, preserves and pickle juice, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with the mashed potatoes, preserves and pickled cucumbers.