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1
Put the cracked wheat in a bowl, pour over enough boiling water to cover, then set aside to swell.
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2
Peel the beets and onion and grate them coarsely into a large bowl.
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3
Add the ground lamb, garlic, dill, parsley, and a generous grinding of salt and black pepper.
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4
Squeeze any water from the cracked wheat with your hands and add to the meat.
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5
Mix everything together thoroughly, then squish the mixture into little patties about the size of a flattened golf ball.
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6
Cover with plastic wrap (I do this tightly because the chopped garlic will taint everything in the fridge), then chill for at least an hour.
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7
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
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8
Make the dressing by grating the cucumber coarsely and leaving it in a colander, lightly sprinkled with salt, for half an hour.
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9
Squeeze it dry, then mix it with the chopped mint, capers, and yogurt.
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10
Season with salt and black pepper.
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11
Heat a nonstick pan, brush the patties with a little peanut oil, and fry until golden on both sides.
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12
Try not to move the meatballs very much when they are cooking; you risk them falling apart.
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13
Once they are lightly browned on both sides, carefully lift them into a baking dish and finish in a hot oven for fifteen to twenty minutes (incidentally, you can only tell if they are done by tasting one, as the beets give them a rich red color, making it impossible to gauge by sight whether they are cooked).
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14
Drizzle with the cucumber dressing and eat.
