January 21, 2010 | Appetizers, Entrees, Sauces
When you buy meat directly from a farmer or rancher, you buy in quantity, and in an effort to use all of the animal (isn’t it really selfish to kill an animal for only a tenderloin steak?), that quantity usually includes a fair amount of ground meat. I’ve come to the conclusion that you can modify many or most recipes calling for ground beef to use ground turkey, lamb or pork. But changing up the seasonings from say a basic Italian spice blend, to something more Moroccan – well that changes everything!
I give you lamb meatballs with yogurt sauce. Really easy. Really flavorful. And really a nice break from an Italian meatball once in awhile.
Start with the ground lamb.
Add spices – cumin, coriander, thyme, cinnamon, salt, pepper and parsley (which I forgot to photograph).
Add fine bread crumbs, an egg or two (I like more eggs in my meatloaf and meatball recipes) and a grated or finely diced onion.
Along with pine nuts and raisins (which I also forgot to photograph).
Shape into meatballs – 8 per pound of ground beef for medium-sized ones or 16 per pound for appetizer size – and place on a silicone baking mat to cook.
Now you could easily have cooked these in a skillet with a bit of oil until nicely golden brown, but I find baking them gives a nice sear on the outside without any fuss of standing over the pan, turning them around to get every side cooked.
I serve these with a simple yogurt sauce that includes some lemon and mint. You can add curry to the mix as well if you’re into that sort of thing. And if you can find a nice thick Greek yogurt, you’ll end up with a thick sauce that’s more like a dip.
I ate these for lunch today. Well, not allof these, but a couple with some good spoonfuls of that yogurt sauce. Mmmmmmmmm!
Lamb Meatballs
Serves 41 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup minced onions
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beatenGently mix together lamb, onions, spices, bread crumbs, and egg. Form into small meatballs. Place onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees until cooked through, 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs.
Yogurt Sauce
Yields about 1 cup1 cups plain yogurt
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mint, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon curry powder, optionalStir all ingredients together and let stand 10 minutes for flavors to meld.
[...] Sauce February 1st, 2010 by Picket Fence I was inspired by these appetizing lamb meatballs by Cooking with Michele while looking for a recipe to cook our local sustainably raised organic “Lava Lake [...]