These are very good...my son requested them for his birthday dinner last night. I've made them as kabobs and patties. I haven't tried the sauce; I use another one from Ina Garten that I posted below...it's really really good.

Weber's Mount Olympus Meatball Kabobs

Serves 4-6

Meatballs:
2 medium garlic cloves
1 small red or yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 pound ground lamb
3/4 pound ground beef
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika

Sauce:
4 ounces English cucumber
1 cup plain yogurt
2 T. olive oil
2 T. finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce

For Meatballs: In food processor (or by hand) finely chop garlic, onion and mint. Combine in large bowl with lamb, beef and remaining meatball ingredients. Blend lightly with your hands until well combined. Form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (you should have 20-25 meatballs). Thread long, wide skewers through meatballs, about 4 or 5 per skewer, leaving a little room between each meatball. Place kabobs on baking sheet, cover and chill for 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

For Sauce: Grate cucumber. Drain in colander and squeeze out most of moisture. In medium bowl, whisk together cucumber and remaining sauce ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to serve (can be made 1-2 days in advance).

Lightly brush or spray kabobs on all sides with olive oil. Grill over direct medium heat until fully cooked, 8-10 minutes, gently rotating meatballs 2 or 3 times during grilling. Serve warm with the sauce.

Ina Garten's Tzatziki

This needs to be made ahead since the yogurt and cucumber have to drain. I usually make it the day before serving. The Greek style yogurt from Trader Joe's is good for this. It's thick and has less liquid.

1 pint plain yogurt (whole milk or low fat)
1 English cucumber, peeled and seeded (if cucumber is very large, 1/2 to 3/4 of it is enough)
1/2 T. plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 T. champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 T. minced fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried)
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1/2 T. of kosher salt; place it in another sieve, and set it over another bowl. Cover and place both bowls in the refrigerator. Let the yogurt and cucumber drain for 3 to 4 hours (I often do it overnight).

Transfer thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can (a potato ricer helps) and add the cucumber to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, dill, and pepper. Taste and, if necessary, add the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Allow the sauce to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Thanks for this.

I've made Tzatziki a couple of times, and a couple of the Mediteranean cooking/recipe books I looked at recommended adding salt to the yogurt to make the liquid drain better. I did add the salt, but it always seemed too salty to me afterward, even when I didn't use very much. And I drained it overnight.

From this recipe, seems you don't need to add the salt at all. That's a relief. So, thanks again.

Tanya, I only add salt to the grated cucumber. If you use the Greek style yogurt you won't have to worry about getting a lot of liquid out. It has very little compared to "regular" plain yogurt. I hope you try the recipe from Ina Garten...it's the best I've had so far.

Champagne,

Thanks. I already copied the recipe and saved it to my recipe archives. Just need an occasion for Tzatziki -- it makes so much, we can't eat all of it.

I'm also going to make the meatballs. They sound yummy!

Actually, the recipe I posted is half the recipe Ina has in her book. The book calls for 4 cups of yogurt and so on. You can easily cut the amounts I posted in half again. I did that the first time I made it just to test it out.

Wow! Only half, you say!? What's she feeding, an army?

I was thinking that I'd most likely have to cut it in half anyway.

Thanks again.

If you've ever watched her show, she often makes enough for an army!

I've never seen it. We don't have cable.

Where can I buy ground lamb? at a reasonable price? or do I need to have it ground by a butcher somewhere?

Thanks.

I have mine ground at a Middle Eastern market we have here. You can occasionally find it at some of the major markets. However, it might be best if you call in advance and ask for it. Ralphs has done it for me in the past.

champagne,

Thanks for the info. I just realized that I'm close to Glendale, and I'll bet I can find it there. (now why didn't i think of that before?? )

I'm bumping this up...these were part of a wonderful dinner my daughter and her fiance made yesterday. The meatballs are delicious and this tzatziki recipe is something I make fairly often. It's so good!

If you make patties instead of meatballs, you can serve them in pita with tomato, red onion and the tzatziki...heaven.

Bubbles this looks like I need to make it yesterday. A couple of technical hints about drained yogurt follow.

You have to use a yogurt that does not contain stabilizers. They will be listed and include tapioca, agar, gelatin and a couple of others that won't come to mind. These stabilizers keep the solution from draining properly but do release liquid as it ages. The most dependable yogurt to mske yogurt "cheese" is Trader Joe's non fat brand. I am seldom without at least a pint of drained yogurt in the refer. I also make my own kefir and often let it age a bit and make kefir cheese. I often "dilute" mayonnaise on a 50/50 basis with either :cheese". I also drain for 12 to 20 hours.

Brent, they are definitely worth trying. Thanks for the tips on the yogurt!

bumpity bump...