Preparation Method
- Make the meatballs: position the oven rack in the highest position. Preheat the oven to Broil/Hi. Place salt, all the seeds, crushed red pepper and black pepper in the blender. Select Manual/Hi and pulse until seeds are coarsely ground and mixture is well-combined. Add shallot, garlic, egg and yogurt. Pulse briefly, stopping to scrape jar if necessary, until mixture is well-blended but not completely smooth. Place the lamb in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture, parsley and lemon zest. Mix together with your hands until well-combined. Shape the lamb mixture into medium meatballs, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking pan and brush tops of meatballs with olive oil. Take care not to crowd the meatballs. For well-done meatballs, broil until centers reach 160°F, 12-14 minutes. For medium meatballs, broil until centers reach 140°F, 8-10 minutes.
- Make the tzatziki: grate the cucumber into a medium bowl and toss with salt. Transfer grated cucumber to a colander and allow to drain, pressing down on the cucumber to extract as much liquid as possible. Add drained cucumber back to the bowl, along with yogurt, lemon juice, parsley and garlic. Mix well.
- Serve meatballs in pitas with tzatziki.
Pro Tip
Meat needs a few minutes to rest after being broiled to let the juices redistribute. A few minutes of patience definitely pays off with the juiciest chops.
