Dinner · 40 min · greek

Keftedes (Herbed Meatballs)

A Greek dinner built around ground beef and ground pork — on the table in 40 minutes.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb Ground beef
• 3/4 lb Ground pork
• 3 slices Day-old bread
• 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 1 Yellow onion
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1/4 cup Fresh mint
• 2 tsp Dried oregano
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Olive oil
• 2 tsp Salt

Steps

1. Soak the bread in water, then squeeze it completely dry — wet bread is the old-country secret to meatballs that stay tender instead of dense. Crumble it fine.
2. Grate the onion on the coarse side of the grater; grated onion melts into the mixture while chopped onion leaves raw chunks. Mix everything except the flour and oil gently with your hands — overworking develops the protein and turns them rubbery.
3. Chill 30 minutes; cold mixture holds its shape in the pan instead of slumping. Roll into 16 walnut-size balls with damp hands.
4. Dredge lightly in flour, shaking off the excess — the flour is a whisper-thin crust, not a coating.
5. Fry in hot olive oil in batches, 3 minutes per side, until deeply browned all over. Do not crowd the pan; crowded meatballs steam gray.
6. Drain on a rack and finish with lemon wedges and a snowfall of oregano. Equally good hot, warm, or at room temperature with ouzo on the side — that is how a taverna does it.

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