Greek Turkey Meatballs (Turkey Kefthedes)

~For the health conscious, non-vegan, non-vegetarians, life involves a lot of turkey and chicken breast. Needless to say, it’s easy to get tired of the same old, same old. Kefthedes is one of my favorite Greek dishes. I was surprised to find one done with turkey, rather than the traditional beef/lamb mixture.

*Cook’s note: when I initially followed the recipe, I found the mixture to be too moist so I added a bit of rolled oats to help soak up the flavors and add some dimension to the meatballs.

Recipe adapted from Chef Evan Branning

Special equipment:

Half sheet sized sheet pan

Half sheet sized Silpat or parchment paper

Ingredients:

20oz ground turkey

2 shallots- finely minced

6 mint leaves- finely minced

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ cup rolled oats

1 large egg

1 tsp kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Pinch of sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly.
3. Place a pan on stove on medium heat. Add just a drop of oil. Fry up a very small patty from mixture. Turn off heat. Taste patty and season more if necessary.
4. Form rest of mixture into 1” balls.
5. Place pan on stove on medium heat. Lightly cover surface with oil. Sear all sides of meatballs until golden brown.
6. Place seared meatballs onto Silpat (or parchment) lined sheet pan.
7. Place into oven and bake for 10-12min.
8. Serve with tzatziki.