These are so tender and juicy… they’ll be the star of the show if you are having a mediterranean themed evening.  One pound of ground lamb will yield approximately 12 medium sized meatballs, but you could always make them smaller if you like.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of a jelly roll pan and spray with nonstick spray.  Chop the mint and basil, then place in a bowl with the ground lamb.  Season with salt and pepper.  Use your hands and mix the mint into the lamb until evenly incorporated.  If you’re squeamish you can use a fork, but honestly, your hands are so much better.  And you’re going to need them for the next step, so why not get messy as soon as possible?  Take a small spoonful of the mixture and roll into a ball.  Set each meatball onto the rack and repeat until you have used all of the lamb mixture.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.  I like to cook the meatballs this way so the fat drains and they don’t steam in their own juices.  Trust me, they still stay very juicy and you won’t miss the fat!  Serve with lots and lots of tzakiki.  These are great for a party appetizer as well!

This is a quick version of tzakiki… traditionally it is made of strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, lemon, garlic, salt & pepper, olive oil, and sometimes dill/ parsley/ mint… but who has time to strain yogurt?!

Slice the cucumber into thin slices.  I used the side of my box grater so the slices would be as thin as possible… a mandoline would work really well too… if you don’t have either of these use a knife and just try to slice as thinly as possible. Then mix into the greek yogurt and season with salt & pepper, a pinch of celery salt (if you don’t have this, don’t worry just leave it out), and a squeeze of lemon juice.  I’m not listing amounts here because it really depends on your preference. For example, the last time I made this I used 3/4 of a 16 oz container of greek yogurt, 1/2 a cucumber, 1/2 a lemon, and then did the pinch of celery salt, and a couple grinds of salt & pepper.  I like to serve tzakiki when D & I do a Mediterranean themed night… chicken roasted with lemon and onion, lamb meatballs, a traditional greek salad or a simple orzo salad, and naan bread.  It’s probably one of our favorite meals, and I’ll usually make enough to feed us for a couple of nights… I think it tastes even better on the second day!

It’s nice that all I used to make this was my box grater and a spoon… less cleanup when you mix it in the greek yogurt container!