Turkish Spiced Meatballs With Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce

1. 1

   Put yogurt in a paper towel-lined sieve set over a bowl and keep covered and chilled 8 to 12 hours.

2. 2

   Boil pomegranate juice in a small heavy saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Keep warm off heat, covered.

3. 3

   Soak whole slices of bread for 30 minutes in a mixing bowl filled with water, then fold and squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible.

4. 4

   Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped, then add parsley and pulse again until finely chopped. Add lamb, bread (torn into pieces), allspice, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse, stopping and scraping down sides, until combined. (Do not overblend.)

5. 5

   Roll level tablespoons of meat mixture into balls (about 42), arranging them on plates or on another sheet pan.

6. 6

   Preheat oven to 350u00b0F with rack in middle. Line a large, rimmed sheet pan with foil.

7. 7

   Heat olive oil and vegetable oil together in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oils shimmer (put one meatball in to test; it should sizzle). Brown meatballs all over in batches of 10 to 12, turning occasionally with a spoon or shaking skillet (lower heat if oil begins to smoke), about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer, as browned, to lined sheet pan.

8. 8

   Once all meatballs are browned, transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to look, or use an instant-read thermometer; it should register 160u00b0F), 10 to 15 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels.

9. 9

   Spoon drained yogurt into a small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate syrup, then swirl it in briefly with a spoon. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over top. Spear each meatball with a toothpick and serve yogurt alongside for dipping.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.