Then we had a little lamb

With deepest apologies to the nursery rhyme version*:

Came home with some ground up lamb
(ground up lamb! ground up lamb!)
Came home with some ground up lamb
Inpsired to make meatballs

Added feta in by hand
(in by hand! in by hand!)
Added feta in by hand
with herbs, an egg and salt

Then I baked the balls of lamb,
(balls of lamb! balls of lamb!)
Then I baked the balls of lamb,
'Til they were round and plump

Served the meatballs to the fam
(to the fam! to the fam!)
Served the meatballs to the fam
Who gobbled them all up!

The End


Lamb and Feta Meatballs with Herbed Yogurt Sauce
Based on a recipe for lamb burgers in the Lazy Gourmet Cookbook. I can definitely see these being incredible as sliders, with some pickled onions and raita sauce.  They'd also be terrific as an appetizer.  We had them with grilled flatbread and arugula with a lemon vinaigrette.

For the Meatballs:
1 1/2 lb. ground lamb
1/2 c. chopped onion
4 oz. (about 3/4 c.) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a large baking sheet with foil, and top with a cooling rack (if you have one that fits right onto your baking sheet).  Spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl.  Using your hands, gently mix together until well combined.   Form into round meatballs about 1 1/2" in diameter, taking care not to compress the mixture as you work with it.  (This will keep your meatballs tender and juicy).  Place meatballs on the prepared rack/baking sheet.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, until deep golden brown.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool briefly, and serve with sauce on the side.

For the Herbed Yogurt Sauce:
3/4 c. Greek-style plain yogurt
1/4 c. Fresh Herb sauce
OR
1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, but as long as overnight in the fridge, to blend flavors.

Click to print this recipe!

Illustrations (via Wikipedia) by William Wallace Denslow from a 1901 edition of Mother Goose.


* And to people who will be horrified by my mixing up images of a cute fluffy white-fleeced little animal with this recipe.