This dish at Terra at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado in Santa Fe, N.M., executive chef José Fernandez uses two specialties of the Rocky Mountain West for this dish: green chile and bison.
He combines roasted Hatch green chiles along with a little fresh jalapeño pepper, garlic, cilantro, parsley, oregano and thyme with ground bison, eggs, ricotta cheese, milk-soaked breadcrumbs and a little baking soda and combines them into a smooth paste that he forms into meatballs and sautés in olive oil. He said the baking soda gives the meatballs a smoother texture.
He garnishes them with more ricotta, some Parmesan cheese and chives and serves them with rustic bread.
Fernandez said the dish was inspired by the food he grew up on in Barcelona, Spain. “To make it come alive, I used local ingredients from here in New Mexico to elevate and give the dish a sense of place,” he said.
Price: $37