Here is a Cypriot-style fried Greek meatball. In contrast to the Greek islands, these are made with grated potatoes. Give them a squeeze of lemon and enjoy a taste of Cyprus.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- oil for frying
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 5 white potatoes, peeled
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, grated
- ¾ cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup dried mint, crushed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- zest from 1 lemon
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Place the lemon juice in a large bowl. Coarsely grate the potatoes into the lemon juice, stirring well to prevent browning. Stir in the ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, mint, cinnamon, lemon zest, eggs, and salt and pepper. Mix well, and shape into oblong balls about 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide.
- Place meatballs in hot oil in batches; do not crowd. Fry until golden brown, and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes per batch. Serve with lemon wedges.
- If desired, the onion can be chopped in a food processor. Process until very fine and mushy.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 627 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 154 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 1977 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 35 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This recipe was so easy to make! It was full of flavor even though the receip calls for minimal ingredients. I added tzatziki sauce on top of mine and served with roasted potatoes. This will be added to the work week dinner rotation.
These were so delicious. I definitely will make them again . Next time I am going to try to cook these in my air fryer. I had to sub fresh mint since I was unable to find dried
I made them with ground lamb instead of beef, and I love them. I’m going to use beef next time and see which one I like better.
I sautéed in olive oil. I also used half lb ground pork and 1 lb ground beef. I added fresh ginger too.
These were a hit but a bit overwhelmed by the lemon. I will cut back a bit next time.
These are delicious ! I used half ground beef and half ground lamb.
Didn’t find these to be like what I know. Added cinnamon, allspice and fresh dill, rolled them in flour before frying and I got what I was looking for. I also serve this on lemon/parmesan orzo with a healthy squeeze of lemon
As long as I have been anticipating trying this recipe, when I prepared it I did not care for it. The dried mint seems to overpower all of the other ingredients. I used three methods after preparing beef mixture: frying; baking and grilling these meatballs, however all three methods did not meet my satisfaction. I understand recipe says to deep fried them, but unfortunately meatballs came out very crispy.
These are very good, only made one change did not have dried mint so used fresh. Amazing flavor.
These were ok. Next time I make these I’m going to cut back on the mint as it was overpowering and add about 1 tablespoon crushed garlic to add to make these less bland.
My elder mom whom I take care of every Sunday just loved this. I was loking for something with mint and basil and different and this fit the bill and fill our bellies, quite Yummy! I served it with Tzatzike Sauce for dipping.
Traditional Keftedes are made with pork not beef. Great recipe, my kids love them. I make tons of them and freeze them. I give this to my kids instead of chicken nuggets.
These were very good! However, I baked them (uncovered) at 400 degrees until done, then I poured a simple pasta sauce over them and baked them for just a few more minutes then sprinkled feta on top. They were DELICIOUS! (I served with white rice)
Excellent! I added crumbled feta as well. Just delicious.
A great alternative to italian meatballs!
Mmmmmmm! This brings back fond childhood memories. My Dad used to make these and I’m so happy to have found the recipe. These taste exactly like I remember.
i really like this recipe…i follow the recipe as is..i fried them at suggested temperature and i had no problem. the only thing i change was i used 1lb grounded pork and 1lb grounded beef. i didn’t use lemon zest and i added a teaspoon of oregano..and they came great.. i hope this helps out people who are afraid to fried this meatballs…
I love this recipe, but i don’t add any potato to it. Instead of frying, i bake them in the oven for 30mins at 350F, if they were cold to start with.
These meatballs are DELICIOUS, but very greasy. And it’s hard to not burn them at the temperature suggested. My thermometer said 275 degrees, and I still couldn’t get them both cooked through and not burned. I baked the second half of the batch at about 400 degrees for maybe 30 minutes. I also didn’t have any parsley or lemon. I’m excited to include those ingredients next time.
Yum!!!! I grilled on the Foreman rather than frying (cut a large potato in half and set the pieces upright in the bottom corners to keep the lid from smashing the meatballs) and served with spaghetti noodles tossed with garlic oil and basil. My husband loved them!!!!