While grocery shopping, since we had ZERO food in the house when I got home (note to self: have a pre-made dinner ready when returning from a long trip so you don't eat crap food), I saw ground lamb at my local organic grocer. It showed that it was grass fed and hormone free, so I decided it was worth a shot. It was quite delicious, although I know they don't carry it all the time - good thing I bought two packages of it(;
Our last dinner in Dublin was at a restaurant called "The Farm" - appropriate enough it's owned by a local Dublin family, who also happen to be farmers. The food was spectacular! The starter (aka appetizer) we had was the lamb meatballs, and they were heavenly. Even though we had a smaller portion in Ireland, I decided that the pound of lamb I had would be enough for a lovely summer dinner on it's own.
I mentioned in one of my Facebook posts that I often don't make traditional dinners (i.e.: meat protein, starch and vegetable) in the summer...or ever, for that matter. I find that I'm never as hungry as I think I am, and if you really listen to your body (tips coming in another post) you find that you don't need as much food to sustain you as you were maybe taught you did.
Anywho....the recipe is what you really came for, right?
Lamb Meatballs with Tangy Yogurt Sauce
makes 15-20 meatballs
1 lb. ground lamb
1 T fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
zest from one lemon
2 T plain, whole fat yogurt
1/4 c bread crumbs
salt & pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with your hands or a spoon. Be careful not to overmix, as you don't want to toughen the meat. The mixture should be sticky in your hands. Roll the meat into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for about 17 minutes. I flipped mine in the middle of cooking just to given them a nice even crust. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 min.
While they are baking, I like to make my yogurt sauce and cut up raw veggies.
Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup plain, whole fat yogurt
juice from half a lemon (if you have a really juicy lemon, you may want to use less...you don't want it too acidic)
1 T fresh mint
salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a small dish and let sit so the flavors marry.
After the meatballs are out of the oven, place your pita on a cookie sheet (I like to use Ezekiel Whole Grain Pockets). I cut mine in quarters, but you could half them or keep them whole if you wanted. I only used about 3 pita pockets for the two of us. After the meatballs are done, just pop these babies into the oven and let them warm - about 2 or 3 minutes. Just watch that they don't get too crunchy - you want them on the softer side.
Slainte! (as the Irish would say, Cheers!)
XoXo,
Nicole