Persian kotlet

Persian kotlet is a potato and meat patty that is seasoned with pureed onion, and turmeric, and shallow fried on the stovetop. Kotlet eat really well at room temperature, making them the perfect picnic food. In fact, I can’t remember many family picnics as a child that didn’t include kotlet wraps served with lavash, pickles, and tomatoes. 

Every Iranian household has their own way of making kotlet. People use a variety of different spices and some families cook the potato before blending it with the meat. This recipe, as written and tested, is modeled after the kotlets my mom makes. She’s my favorite cook so I unapologetically follow her example, especially when it comes to Iranian cooking. When she tells me to add the potato raw, because it absorbs less oil that way, I do what she says and I’m rewarded with delicious kotlet patties!

Making Persian kotlet is simple but it takes a bit of time to fry up the patties. I can still picture my mom standing over a frying pan, expertly shaping and frying, dozens of kotlet without skipping a beat. She’d always let me sneak a taste of the hot patty, still glistening from the oil….delicious! Just like my mom, I always double this recipe, making sure there’s enough for everyone to have their fill with extras to pack away for tomorrow’s lunch. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my siblings and I did growing up. If you give it a try, leave me a comment and let me know! 

Other Persian recipes you might like:

• persian skillet kabob (kabob tabei)
• Persian zucchini frittata (kuku kadoo)
• persian macaroni with beef and turmeric

Persian kotlet

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• Author: Sepideh Esmaili Campos

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Ingredients

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• 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into similar size pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 pound ground beef, 85% lean
• 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric 
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 egg 
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• Canola oil or ghee

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Instructions

1. Place the raw chopped potatoes in a food processor and blend until the potatoes are completely pureed, 2-3 minutes. Stop the food processor a couple times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
2. Transfer the pureed potatoes to a large mixing bowl. 
3. Place the chopped onion in the now empty food processor. Blend until the onion is completely pureed, 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the pureed onion to the bowl with the potatoes. 
5. Add the ground beef, salt, black pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, egg and breadcrumbs to the bowl of potatoes and onions. Gently mix together with your hand until just combined. 
6. Place the kotlet mixture in the refrigerator for up to 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop. 
7. Place a large paper-towel lined platter near the stove so you can quickly move cooked kotlets off the frying pan when they’re done. 
8. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, you’re ready to cook the kotlet. 
9. Use a #24 ice cream scooper to scoop out about 3 Tablespoons of kotlet mixture at a time.
10. Flatten the mixture into a patty using clean hands.  
11. Once the oil is hot and rippling, about 2 minutes, place the kotlet patties down into the oil in a single layer. 
12. Once you place your first kotlet into the pan, scoop and shape your next kotlet, placing it in the pan as soon as you’re done shaping. 
13. Shape and fry as many kotlets as fit in the pan in a single layer. 
14. Let the kotlets brown on the first side, 6-8 minutes, then flip each kotlet over in the same order that you first placed them in the pan. 
15. Once the second side of the kotlet is browned and the meat is cooked, transfer the cooked patties to the paper towel lined platter. 
16. Continue this process, adding more oil or ghee before each additional batch of kotlets, until you’ve cooked all the meat. 
17. The kotlets can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven or you can serve them at room temperature (making them the perfect picnic food). 
18. Serve the patties with tomato slices, persian pickles, microgreens and lavash bread or whole wheat pitas.