Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon dried sage, rubbed
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 1 ½ cups half & half
- ¾ cup milk, or more as needed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Serves: 8
Method: Indirect cooking
Equipment: Half Moon Cast Iron Griddle, cooking grid
- Set the EGG for indirect cooking at 425°F/218°C.
- Using a cooking grid, bake the sweet potatoes for 50-60 minutes, or until tender.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ground pork, egg, ½ cup of cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, sage, red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon salt. Form the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and arrange them on a plate.
- In the Half Moon Cast Iron Griddle, warm 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the meatballs in a single layer, making sure they’re not touching. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and cover to keep warm.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
- Scoop the flesh from the sweet potatoes, place it in a food processor, and pulse a few times. Slowly add the half and half and milk, processing until smooth. Set aside.
- Wipe out the Half Moon Cast Iron Griddle and place it back on the EGG at 350°F/177°C. Warm the butter and 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet potato mixture, black pepper, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the sauce thickens and is heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk as needed. Stir in ¼ cup of cheese.
- Add the rigatoni, stirring until heated through.
- Serve the pasta topped with meatballs and garnished with chopped parsley.
