This is one of those fantastic dishes that you can prepare the night before, then, with a few tweaks, have in the oven within five minutes of coming in the door.
Meatballs are always a popular choice and perfect for portion control. When we were little my nana used to make amazing meatballs and even with eight hungry grandchildren squawking to be fed in front of her, she still calmly ladled them out, somehow giving everyone equal amounts. She must have been under massive pressure to keep the numbers right.
I find it hard to separate lamb from Greek cuisine. I think the Greeks have it perfectly right pairing lamb with garlic, lemon and herbs like mint or dill. For these meatballs I’ve added a little harissa, add as much as you like. Usually one or two teaspoons is ideal but for children I only use half that amount.
Ground cumin or a mixed Middle Eastern spice blend like baharat would be suitable too. To increase the amount of vegetables in this I sometimes use peppers, aubergine or courgette instead of potatoes. Serve this with warm flatbreads or some salad leaves.
The dill yogurt is just a base for tzatziki really so add some finely diced cucumber if you have it.
Flavoured yogurts are a great way of introducing flavour to dishes. Make them with plenty of citrus, Tabasco, garlic and lots of herbs.
Drizzled over a finished dish, it lifts everything and helps to accentuate certain ingredients and provides bursts of flavour. It’s really handy to have a few different-flavoured yogurts in the fridge.
One of my favourites was a blood orange and star anise yogurt dolloped on salad from the Cork salad and juice bar, Rocket Man; it was beautifully seasonal with a burst of spice.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
80g breadcrumbs
450g lamb mince
1 onion, roughly chopped
1tbs dill
1tbs mint leaves
1/2tsp harissa paste, or more to taste
1 egg
2 small red onion, cut into 8 with base intact
2 large potatoes
1 sweet potato
1 handful of mixed olives
1 lemon
50g feta cheese
Extra mint leaves, to garnish
160ml Greek yogurt
1tsp finely chopped dill
1 clove garlic, crushed
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the breadcrumbs, lamb mince, white onion, herbs, egg and harissa into a food processor with one scant teaspoon of sea salt. Blitz till combined. You want to keep some texture and not have it like a paste. You could also finely chop everything and mix well in a bowl by hand. Shape tablespoons of the mixture into 18 balls.
Drizzle a tray with a little oil and arrange the meatballs evenly on top.
Roughly cube the potatoes, no need to peel. Place these, with the red onion wedges on another tray and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and place both trays into the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Turn the meatballs halfway through. If you have a tray large enough to take all of the vegetables and meatballs then place them all on that, just don’t overcrowd the tray as nothing will be able to cook if air can’t circulate.
Mix the crushed garlic and dill with the yogurt along with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges to serve with the meatballs. Once everything is cooked place the vegetables onto a serving dish and top with the meatballs. Scatter with roughly chopped mint leaves, feta and olives. Tuck a few wedges of lemon in for squeezing over and serve with the dill yogurt.
