Kotlet (Meat, Potato and Onion Patties)
Crisp on the outside and juicy in the middle, Iranian kotlets are made from mixing grated potatoes and onions with ground beef or lamb and spices, then forming them into patties before frying. Every Persian household has its own signature spice blend, or advieh, and it traditionally includes a variety of spices such as cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, rose petals and cloves. Typically eaten for lunch or taken along on picnics, kotlets are great hot or at room temperature; they can be served right away with steamed basmati rice or saved for later, tucked into a sandwich with tomatoes, pickles and herbs.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 1large Yukon Gold potato (about 12 ounces), peeled
- 1medium yellow onion, peeled
- 1pound ground beef
- 1large egg
- 2tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon ground cloves
- Salt
- ½cup plain bread crumbs
- 1cup canola oil
Instructions
Step 1
Coarsely grate the potato on a box grater set directly on your cutting board then transfer the grated potato to a large bowl.Step 2
Next, grate the onion onto the board. Squeeze out and discard all of the juices from the grated onion, then add the grated onion to the potatoes in the bowl along with the beef, egg, parsley, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves; season with 1 to 2 teaspoons salt and mix to combine. (If you’d like to check the salt level or seasonings for this or other raw meat mixtures, you can pull off a pinch of the mixture and pan-fry it in a little bit of oil in a skillet until cooked through so you can taste and adjust as desired.)Step 3
Using your hands, form the mixture into 8 equal balls, each about 2 ½ inches wide, then flatten them into 4-inch-long ovals.Step 4
Set the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, then dredge the kotlets in them until coated all over. Transfer to a sheet tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Step 5
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, cook the kotlets, flipping once, until golden on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold from the fridge.