I’ve been enjoying Middle Eastern food lately, especially the lamb I ate in restaurants in Chicago and New York earlier this fall.  This simple locavore-friendly dish was inspired by those flavors, especially the combination of lamb, fat, spices and yogurt.  It was also inspired by the fact that I had all the ingredients in the house.

Spiced Ground Lamb with Potatoes and Yogurt

3/4 - 1 pound ground lamb

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 onion minced

1 large egg

handful of mint, minced

handful of Italian parsley, minced

cumin

turmeric

pepper

salt

3 medium potatoes

olive oil

plain yogurt, preferably sheep milk for the tangy flavor

Preheat oven to a high temperature, about 450 F.  Cut potatoes into wedges and coat with salt, cumin, pepper and olive oil.  Bake until soft inside and crispy on the outside.

In a bowl, combine lamb, egg, minced garlic and onion, mint, parsley, lots of cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. 

Heat olive oil in a pan.  Drop individual walnut-sized dollops of the meat mixture into the oil, keeping them from touching one another, and cooking on both sides.  Remove to a plate when they’re slightly browned.

Lamb fat will continue accumulating in the pan as you cook.  I was using a small pan and had to do several batches, by the end of which there was a lot of flavorful fat and bits of garlic.  When you’re done cooking the lamb, save the fat, with all the flavorful bits scraped into it, and pour it over the potatoes or the lamb.

Serve the lamb and potatoes together with lots of yogurt and chopped Italian parsley.

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