These spice-loaded meatballs have a Turkish inflection. The warm yogurt sauce adds tang and richness, along with a sprinkling of tart sumac powder and chopped mint. American "Greek-style" yogurt is not always tart enough, but it can be thinned with a bit of buttermilk or even lemon juice. Whisking it with cornstarch and egg produces a silky sauce. Though the ingredient list looks long, this is a simple and impressive dish to make.
Notes
Serve with rice, orzo, pita bread or potatoes.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1½ pounds ground lamb - not too lean (from a cut like shoulder or breast, not leg)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup finely diced red onion - or shallots
- 1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon toasted ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 3 eggs - divided
- extra-virgin olive oil
Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup plain yogurt - very tart (if using Greek-style yogurt, thin it with milk and lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch - dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
To serve:
- 2 ounces feta cheese - crumbled
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- crushed red-pepper flakes - to taste
- turmeric - for garnish
- cilantro sprigs
Instructions
Make the meatball mixture:
- In a large bowl, use your hands to combine lamb, breadcrumbs, mint, salt, pepper, onion, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne.
- Beat 2 of the eggs and add to meat, mixing until incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours to allow the seasonings to permeate the meat.
Portion the meatballs.
- Using wet hands, break off walnut-sized pieces of lamb mixture (or use a #30 portion scoop), roll into spheres and set aside on a baking sheet. You should have about 30 1-ounce meatballs.
Brown the meatballs:
- Heat oven to 225 degrees.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
- When shimmering, add the meatballs in one layer and brown for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. (Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.)
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to blot any extra oil, then pile meatballs on a heatproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven.
Make the sauce:
- Beat the remaining egg.
- Pour off any excess oil from the skillet and turn the heat to high.
- Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
- In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, ½ teaspoon salt, remaining egg, and the cornstarch.
- Pour the yogurt mixture in a thin stream into the hot broth, whisking constantly.
- Turn the heat down slightly and continue whisking until the yogurt is heated through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not let the mixture boil.
Finish and serve:
- Pour the hot yogurt sauce over the meatballs.
- Sprinkle crumbled feta, sumac and crushed red pepper on top.
- Finish with pinches of turmeric, if using, and sprinkle with cilantro.
- Serve immediately with rice, orzo, pita bread or potatoes.