Beef Kofta with Mint-Yogurt Sauce

From the garden

• ½ cup fresh mint, leaves finely chopped, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, grated on a box grater
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

From the pantry

• 1½ lb ground beef (85/15)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon — half juiced into the sauce, half in wedges
• 1¼ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil — for the grill or pan
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Start the rice: simmer it with 2 cups salted water in a covered pot, 15 minutes on low, then rest off the heat. Meanwhile, squeeze the grated onion in your fist over the sink to shed its juice — a dry mix is what keeps kofta from falling apart.
2. Gently knead the beef with the squeezed onion, garlic, parsley, a third of the mint, the cumin, paprika, 1.5 teaspoons salt, and plenty of black pepper. Mix just until combined; overworking makes kofta tough.
3. With damp hands, shape the mixture into 12 slightly flattened ovals (a heaped 2 tablespoons each) and chill them 10 minutes so they firm up.
4. Stir the yogurt with most of the remaining mint, the juice of half the lemon, and a pinch of salt.
5. Grill the kofta over medium-high (or sear in an oiled cast-iron skillet) 3–4 minutes per side, until well browned outside and 160°F in the center — the safe temperature for ground beef.
6. Pile the kofta on the rice, spoon the mint-yogurt sauce over, and finish with the last of the mint and lemon wedges.