Meat patties or Persian Kotlette gosht

These Persian meat patties are easy to make and so delicious that you will lick your fingers!

As I have written before, I visit my brother-in-law every Wednesday and take some food with me. This routine is a new one since my dear sister passed away. Last week, I was a little worried that he did not eat enough or the right food, so I decided to make soup as usual together with a meat dish as a supplement. So, I decided to make Kotlette Gosht. It was a success; my brother-in-law loved it. I always get ratings from him, which I greatly appreciate because he was pampered forever by my sister. I received a rating of 20. (The highest rating) I was indeed pleased about that.

 We have many dishes with ground meat in Iran; What separates them is the flavor, of course, and the shape. We have Shami, a mixture of beef, and a special chickpeas flour; the steaks look like a regular burger with holes in the middle. Kotlette has the shape of a triangle. We have different forms because when we sit down at the table, the eye must understand what food is being served to set our taste buds on it! This dish is indeed very delicious and can be served hot or cold. I like to serve it warm, with potatoes and a tomato sauce.
I talked to an Iranian who told me that in their home, they mixed the meat with a lot of grated potatoes to make it last for a crowd. I have chosen to make the dish as my mother and sister did, which means I mix the meat with half the amount of boiled potatoes. The seasoning is perfect for my family.

Once in a while, I grate a carrot and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

 Ingredients for 9 to 10 patties (4 servings)

500 grams of ground meat (I choose veal, but beef will do as well)
1 large onion
2 eggs
250 grams of boiled potatoes
2 teaspoon salt
0,5 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
0,5 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon garlic powder
breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

Tomato sauce for one serving
1/2 – 1 whole onion
6 medium tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic (pressed or chopped)
1.5 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 – 2 tablespoons of squeezed lemon
1 teaspoon of sugar
some water

Method: 

The patties:

1. Peel and boil the potatoes. When the potatoes have cooled, you grate them on the coarse side of the grater.
2. Peel and grate the onion on the coarse side of the grater. Squeeze as much of the liquid as possible from it.
3. Mix everything in a bowl and knead it for a couple of minutes or until the mixture becomes “thready.”
4. Measure the meat in a dl measurement cup; 3/4 part of the dl measure will be perfect.
5. Put an aluminum foil on the kitchen counter, soak a part of it with some water. Shape the meat mixture, roll it first in your hand and then flatten it. A rule of thumb is that the triangle should be as long and wide as your palm). Try to make it pretty thin!
6. Roll them in breadcrumbs or panko.
7. Heat a pan with butter and oil and fry the patties until they get a crisp surface and also have a nice color; it takes about 3 – 4 minutes (on each side. 
8. Keep them warm in the oven while making the tomato sauce.

Tomato sauce:

1. Peel and chop the onion well.
2. Next, cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
3. Heat a pan with butter and sauté the onion on medium heat until they are soft (5 minutes).
4. Mix in crushed garlic and cook for a short while before adding tomatoes and seasoning. 
5. Stir until everything has blended well. Reduce heat and put on a lid. It takes about 10 minutes. Taste and correct the seasoning to suit you. Add more water if needed. 
6. If you want a little more “heat,” you can use one tsp of sambal oelek in the sauce.

Serving options:

• ·with bread, yogurt, and squeezed lemon
• with potatoes and tomato sauce and a hearty gulf lemon
• with tasty bread, salad, or sabzi khordan as well as pickles.

Enjoy!