Juicy Roasted Greek Meatballs – Keftedakia
Bite-size meatballs seasoned with Greek aromatic herbs, make the perfect appetizer.
Servings 20 meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) ground beef *not extra lean otherwise the meatballs will be dry
- 1 large onion finely chopped (I use a food processor)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon ouzo
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (I use from barley rusks)
- All purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the beef and the rest of the ingredients, except the flour and only 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Mix well. Traditionally here in Greece we knead the beef until all the ingredients are well combined, about 5-10 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will make a difference in the taste.
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).
- Brush a pan with olive oil.
- Roll into meatballs, about 1-1 ½ inch in diameter. Roll in flour and place on pan.
- Add a small amount of olive oil on each meatball. I recently bought a bottle that sprays olive oil using an air pump, which worked beautifully for this.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, turning over half way. You can check with a food thermometer to make sure the meat is done (should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Put under broiler for 5 minutes to get the meatballs crunchy.
Notes
*If you will frying, then follow the first 6 steps and then fry in olive oil.