1small red bell pepperhalved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1medium white onionthinly sliced, divided
5garlic clovesdivided
1poundground lamb
2teaspoonsground cumin
1teaspooncrushed red pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4tablespoonsolive oildivided, plus more as needed
1cupGreek yogurt
2tablespoonslemon juicedivided
2cupsparsley leaves and tender stems
1cupmint leaves
2teaspoonssumac
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the bell pepper with half the sliced onions and 4 of the garlic cloves; pulse just until the vegetables are finely chopped but not puréed.
Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and add the lamb, beef, cumin, crushed red pepper, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix the ingredients with your hands or a flexible spatula until thoroughly combined. (The vegetables will be watery after they are chopped in a food processor, so you want to make sure the meat mixture is combined very well, until it’s almost sticking to the bowl as you mix.)
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the parchment with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Using lightly oiled hands, form about 24 small meatballs (roughly 1 heaping tablespoon each) and place on the oiled parchment, spaced about 1 inch apart. Transfer the meatballs to the oven and bake until they are golden brown and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.
While the meatballs bake, in a small serving bowl, whisk together the yogurt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Grate in the remaining garlic clove, season with salt and set aside for serving.
Soak the remaining sliced onion in a medium bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain, dry thoroughly with paper towels and transfer to a large bowl. Add the parsley, mint, sumac, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, and season with salt. Toss to combine and transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve the meatballs with the salad and garlic yogurt.
Notes
Original recipe called for 1/2 lb each of lamb and beef, I opted to just use lamb.