These spiced beauties are fried on the outside and tender on the inside for the best of all texture worlds!
Ingredients
*Olive oil
*Medium red or yellow onion (or half of a really large one), grated on the large holes of a box grater
*2 large garlic cloves, finely grated
*Kosher salt
*1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
*1 large egg
*1/2 cup chicken stock, beef stock, milk, or water
*1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
*1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or parsley, plus more for garnish
*Zest of one large lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving
*1 Tbsp ground cumin
*1 Tbsp ground coriander
*1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
*1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
*1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
*1 1/2 lbs ground lamb (can also use beef or turkey)
*Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the grated onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and the red pepper flakes, stirring often, until translucent. Set aside to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat the egg and stir in the cooled onion/garlic, chicken stock (or whatever liquid you’re using), panko, mint, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, oregano, nutmeg, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt until well-mixed before you add the meat. Gently incorporate the ground lamb by hand as quickly and lightly as possible without compacting the mixture until evenly distributed.
Pinch off about 2-3 Tbsp of the meat mixture and roll lightly into a ball that’s somewhere in between a ping pong ball and a golf ball. Place the meatball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have used all of the meat mixture. Refrigerate the meatballs for about an hour to firm them up before frying.
In a large skillet, heat about a 1/2-inch of a combination of olive and vegetable oils over medium heat until shimmering. Fry the meatballs in batches (don’t crowd the pan) until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove them from the oil to drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet. You can keep them warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.
Serve warm with the Tzatziki sauce and wedges from the lemon that you zested.
