Lamb Meatballs with Greek Salad & Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
Lamb Meatballs with Greek Salad and Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredient List (Serves 4):
1 lb ground lamb
1 yellow onion
1/2 red onion
1 cup greek yogurt
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp dried dill
1 lemon (use zest for meatballs)
Salt & Olive Oil
Cumin, Cayenne
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 pint grape tomatoes
8 oz chickpeas (drained)
1 english cucumber
1 green bell pepper
1 cup feta (if desired)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Step 1: Make tzatziki
Into 1 cup of greek yogurt, mince (or microplane for better melting) 1 clove of garlic. Add 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint, 1 tbsp dried dill. Zest 1 lemon, and set the zest aside. Squeeze 1/2 the lemon into the yogurt, add 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt, and mix to combine.
On a box grater with a fine grate setting, grate 1/2 a peeled English cucumber. Pick up the grated cucumber, and over a bowl or the sink, squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the grated cucumber.
Add to the yogurt sauce, mix thoroughly, and set aside to develop.
Step 2: Meatballs
Into a mixing bowl, add 1 lb of ground lamb. Grate 1 small yellow onion, and 2 cloves of garlic. Add zest of 1 lemon (reserved from earlier).
Add 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp kosher salt, and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.
Use your hands to mix thoroughly, and roll into 12 equally sized meatballs. Lay each out on a sheet pan, and into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Salad
While the meatballs are cooking, add 8 oz drained chickpeas, 1/2 diced red onion (to chickpea size), 1 diced green bell pepper (to chickpea size), 1 pint of grape tomatoes halved, the rest of your english cucumber (diced), 1 tbsp fresh mint (finely chopped), 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1 cup of feta (if desired) to a bowl, and toss to combine. Dress with the juice of the remaining half of your lemon, and olive oil.
Step 4: Sear the Meatballs
When 15 minutes has elapsed, remove the meatballs from the oven, and heat up pan on the stove with a drizzle of canola oil. Sear the meatballs on all sides quickly to brown.
Step 5: Plate
Use a spoon to add a bed of tzatziki sauce, approximately 1 inch x 3 inches to the plate. Rest 3 meatballs atop the sauce. Using a slotted spoon, dress the other side of the plate with salad.
