Spiced Lamb Meatballs With Lemon Mint Yogurt Sauce
By: Sharon
Published: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - 10:26am

Ingredients




sauce:

1 1/2 cups (14 oz.) low fat Greek yogurt
finely shredded zest of 1 lemon (use a Microplane zester)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
meatballs:

2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ras el hanout (or 2 tsp curry powder and 2 tsp garam masala)
1 teaspoon salt & 1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
pitas for serving

Preparation

1 To make sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve meatballs. Chill, if desired. 2 Meatballs: 3 In a large bowl, combine ginger, garlic, ras el hanout, salt and pepper. 4 Add meats and gently combine with hands until spices are just evenly distributed. Do not overmix. 5 Gently roll meat into 1 1/2 inch balls and set on a rimmed baking pan or jelly roll pan. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line another baking pan with paper towels. 6 Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. 7 Add oil and swirl to coat. 8 Brown meatballs in batches on all sides, turning as needed for about 10-12 minutes (medium rare). 9 Transfer meatballs to towel lined pan. 10 Transfer meatballs to serving dish and serve with yogurt sauce & toasted pitas.

About


We loved these Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs but missed out on the one key Moroccan ingredient: ras el hanout, a mix of about 12 spices like cardamom, clove, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, cumin, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric! I figured that in a pinch a blend of garam maslala and curry powder would suffice. Don't ask how I came to that conclusion but it worked :) 
Hopefully you'll find it easier to locate in your town; I went so far as to email a local Moroccan restaurant for a recommendation but she didnt know of any markets in the area that sell it. Next time, I'll plan ahead and order on the internet.
To top off the meatballs, we made a lemon mint yogurt sauce that nicely complimented the meat. I really never had any idea I would love the mint / lamb combo so much but it just works. And I can't really explain why, so just try it. Find some top quality pita bread and you have yourself a very tasty and exotic meal!