Keftedes with Tzatziki

Name: Keftedes with Tzatziki
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 English cucumber, coarsely grated, skin on; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1½ cups whole-milk Greek yogurt; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped; 2 slices day-old white bread, crusts off; 1 large yellow onion; 1 lb ground lamb; 8 oz 80/20 ground beef; 1 egg; 2 garlic cloves, grated; ¼ cup mint, chopped; ¼ cup parsley, chopped; 2 tbsp Greek Crack lemon-herb-garlic seasoning, plus a pinch to finish; ½ tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp black pepper; ¾ cup all-purpose flour; 1½ cups light olive oil or neutral oil, for frying; 1 lemon, in wedges; 6 pita breads, warmed

Greek lamb and beef meatballs loaded with mint and grated onion, rolled in flour and fried until they crust. Cold tzatziki, warm pita and lemon on the side.

Grate the onion, then wring its juice over the bread instead of pouring it down the drain. The bread carries all the onion flavor, and the dry pulp goes in the mix without loosening it. Wet onion is why fried meatballs spit and fall apart.

Chef's shortcut: Greek Crack is the seasoning here, salt included. It goes in the meat so the lemon and garlic run all the way through, and one more pinch lands on the meatballs the second they come out of the oil. Get it at Crack Spice

Ingredients

Tzatziki
1 English cucumber, coarsely grated, skin on
1 tsp kosher salt
1½ cups whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Meatballs
2 slices day-old white bread, crusts off
1 large yellow onion
1 lb ground lamb
8 oz 80/20 ground beef
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup mint, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Greek Crack lemon-herb-garlic seasoning, plus a pinch to finish
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp black pepper
To fry and serve
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups light olive oil or neutral oil, for frying
1 lemon, in wedges
6 pita breads, warmed

Method

Start the tzatziki first. Toss the cucumber with the salt in a strainer and let it drain 15 minutes.
Squeeze the cucumber hard in a clean towel until it stops dripping. Stir it with the yogurt, garlic, vinegar, oil and dill. Cover and refrigerate.
Tear the bread into a large bowl. Grate the onion on the big holes of a box grater, pile it in the towel, and wring the juice over the bread. Keep the pulp. Let the bread soak 5 minutes, then mash it to a paste. If it stays dry, add a tablespoon of water.
Add the onion pulp, lamb, beef, egg, garlic, mint, parsley, Crack Spice, cumin and pepper. Knead by hand for 2 minutes until the mix turns sticky and holds together.
Fry a small piece in a little oil and taste it. Add salt only if it needs it, then cover the bowl and chill 30 minutes so it rolls cleanly.
With wet hands, roll the mix into walnut-size balls, about 2 tablespoons each. You should get around 30. Roll them in the flour and shake off the extra.
Heat 1/4 inch of oil to 350°F in a 12-inch heavy skillet. Fry about 10 at a time, turning, until deep brown all over and 160°F in the center, 5 to 6 minutes a batch. Don't crowd the pan.
Drain on a rack and hit them with a pinch of Crack Spice while they're hot. Hold finished batches in a 200°F oven.
Pile on a platter with the lemon wedges, warm pita and the cold tzatziki.