Matt's Recipes

Lamb Kafta

Ground Meat Middle Eastern

Yield4 servingsPrep20minCook10minTotal50min

Lamb Kafta

Photo: Lesya Dolyk, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Grated onion has to be squeezed dry or the kafta slumps on the grill. The mix needs a short chill after shaping so it holds a skewer.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb ground lamb
  • 1 small onion, grated and squeezed dry
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons mint, finely chopped (or extra parsley)
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  1. Mix the ingredients until just even. Do not knead it into a paste.

  2. With wet hands, form the mix into 8 long sausages on flat metal skewers, or shape logs and lay them across the grates. Chill 20 minutes.

  3. Grill over medium-high heat, turning, 8–10 minutes until browned and just cooked through. Do not press them.

  4. Rest 3 minutes. Serve with tzatziki, warm pita, and lemon.

Notes

Flat metal skewers hold better than wood. A 1 lb batch halves cleanly.

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