Greek Lamb Keftedes with Lemon-Dill Tzatziki

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Juicy pan-fried lamb and feta meatballs bound with almond flour instead of breadcrumbs, spiked with oregano, mint and grated onion, then piled onto a thick cucumber tzatziki with plenty of olive oil. All the flavor of a taverna platter with nothing starchy in sight.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb ground lamb
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 small yellow onion, grated on a box grater
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1.25 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

• 1.5 cups full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 medium English cucumber
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the tzatziki first: grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze it hard in a clean kitchen towel over the sink until it gives up most of its liquid — you want about 3/4 cup of packed dry shreds. Stir it into the yogurt along with the grated garlic, dill, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Refrigerate while you make the meatballs.
2. Squeeze the grated onion in your hand over the sink to drain off the watery juice, then put the drained pulp in a large bowl with the ground lamb, feta, almond flour, egg, minced garlic, mint, parsley, oregano, cumin, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and the black pepper.
3. Mix with your hands just until evenly combined, about 30 seconds — overworking makes the keftedes dense. Let the mixture rest 10 minutes so the almond flour hydrates and the mix firms up.
4. With damp hands, roll into 20 meatballs about 1 1/2 inches across (roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons each). Set them on a plate.
5. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, about 2 minutes. Add half the meatballs, leaving space between them, and cook undisturbed 3 minutes until deeply browned on the bottom.
6. Turn and continue cooking, rolling them every 2 minutes, for 7 to 9 minutes total, until browned all over and the centers register 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second batch, adding a little more oil if the pan looks dry.
7. Toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread the tzatziki over a wide platter, pile the hot keftedes on top, and scatter over the tomatoes and olives.
8. Drizzle with any lamb drippings from the skillet, add lemon wedges, and serve warm.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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