Meat · Tested twice

Lamb Meatballs, Whipped Feta

Name: Lamb Meatballs, Whipped Feta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/4 lb ground lamb; 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1 egg; 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or 1/2 tsp chili flakes; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 8 oz feta, at room temperature; 1/2 cup Greek yogurt; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 (14-oz) can crushed tomatoes; 1 teaspoon honey; Fresh mint and dill, to finish; Warm flatbread, to serve

Hot meatballs, cold whipped feta, warm sauce. The temperature contrast does as much work as the spices, so resist the urge to warm the feta through.

20 minPrep

20 minCook

40 minTotal

4Serves

How it balances

Where this dish sits as written, and what each dial is doing.

SaltFeta is salty — season the lamb lightly

AcidLemon in the feta, tomatoes in the sauce

FatLamb, olive oil and feta together

HeatAleppo pepper, warm rather than sharp

Method

Mix the lamb, panko, egg, two thirds of the garlic, cumin, coriander, half the Aleppo pepper and the salt. Keep the salt light — the feta underneath is doing a lot of the seasoning.
Roll into 16 meatballs and chill them for 10 minutes if you have time; they hold their shape better.
Blend the feta, yogurt and lemon juice until smooth and whipped, about a minute. Keep it cold.
Brown the meatballs in the olive oil over medium-high, 6 to 7 minutes, turning to colour several sides. Remove to a plate.
Add the remaining garlic to the pan for 30 seconds, then the tomatoes, honey and remaining Aleppo pepper. Simmer 6 minutes.
Return the meatballs and simmer 6 to 8 minutes more, until cooked through to 160 degrees F. Spread the cold whipped feta on plates, spoon the meatballs and sauce over, and finish with herbs.

If it tastes flat

Heat, then acid. Lamb and feta are both rich and salty, so flatness here is almost always a lack of lift rather than seasoning. Add a pinch more Aleppo pepper to the sauce first; if it is still dull, a squeeze of lemon over the finished plate rather than more salt.

The bit that matters

Keep the feta cold and spread it straight onto the plate, not into the pan. Warming it makes it grainy and turns three distinct elements into one uniform sauce, which is exactly what this dish is trying not to be.

*Approximately 610 calories per serving. Calories are an estimate from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.