The meatball that makes you rethink everything you thought a meatball could be.
There is something deeply satisfying about a meatball — the weight of it, the way it holds together, the concentrated flavour in every bite. These are the ones we make when we want dinner to feel like a genuine occasion. Ground lamb, fragrant with cumin, coriander, and fresh mint, folded through with finely chopped Smoked Kalamata Olives that add a briny, smoky depth to the meat that no amount of seasoning alone could achieve. Seared until dark and crusted on the outside, finished in the oven until just cooked through.
They land on a generous cloud of whipped feta — cold, sharp, creamy, and the ideal foil for the warm, smoky lamb. A bright herb oil of parsley and mint goes over everything, pulling the freshness back into a dish that could otherwise tip into heaviness. Served with warm flatbread for dragging through the feta, this is food that earns its place at the centre of the table and keeps people reaching across for more.
Serve as a starter for six, a main for four, or the centrepiece of a mezze spread that requires almost no work beyond this one dish.
Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a starter · ~45 minutes · Oven finish
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs
— 600 g ground lamb
— ½ cup Fume-eh Smoked Sun-Dried Kalamata Olives, pitted and finely chopped
— 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
— 1 teaspoon ground cumin
— 1 teaspoon ground coriander
— ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
— ½ teaspoon chili flakes
— 3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
— 1 egg, beaten
— ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
— Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
— 2 tablespoons olive oil, for searing
For the whipped feta
— 250 g good quality feta, crumbled
— ¼ cup full-fat Greek yoghurt
— 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
— Juice of half a lemon
For the herb oil
— ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed
— ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
— ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
— Juice of half a lemon
— Pinch of flaky salt
— Warm flatbread, for serving
METHOD
1. Make the herb oil first so the flavours have time to settle. Combine the parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a blender or small food processor and blitz until smooth and vibrantly green. Taste and adjust salt. Set aside at room temperature — do not refrigerate, as cold oil dulls the colour and blunts the freshness.
2. Make the whipped feta. Combine the crumbled feta, Greek yoghurt, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor and blitz until completely smooth and light — about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. It should be creamy and spreadable with a bright, sharp flavour. Taste and adjust lemon. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb, chopped Smoked Kalamata Olives, garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, chili flakes, fresh mint, beaten egg, panko, and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork the meat or the meatballs will be dense. The mixture should hold together when pressed but still feel loose. Refrigerate for 15 minutes if time allows; a cold meatball holds its shape better in the pan.
4. Roll the mixture into balls approximately 4 cm in diameter — you should get 18 to 20. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in two batches if needed, add the meatballs in a single layer and sear without moving for 2–3 minutes until a deep brown crust has formed on the underside. Turn and sear for another 2 minutes on the second side. The goal is colour, not full cooking — the oven finishes them.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 8–10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes before serving — this matters more than most steps. Resting lets the juices redistribute and the meatballs firm up slightly so they hold together on the plate.
6. To serve, spread the whipped feta generously across a large warm plate or wide shallow bowl — go right to the edges and use the back of a spoon to create gentle swirls in the surface. Arrange the meatballs over the feta. Drizzle the herb oil liberally over everything, letting it pool in the feta and run between the meatballs. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt, a few extra torn mint leaves, and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately with warm flatbread alongside.
WINE PAIRING
Lamb, Kalamata olives, cumin, and smoked paprika together form a case for something with structure, dark fruit, and enough earthiness to hold its own. A Grenache-based wine or a Malbec from Mendoza will give you more plum and chocolate depth if you want something rich. Closer to home, a BC Syrah from the South Okanagan — particularly from Oliver or Osoyoos — has the dark pepper and olive character that makes this pairing feel almost inevitable. Serve it with a light chill — 15 minutes in the fridge before opening — to keep the tannins from overwhelming the whipped feta.