Magnificent News: Eat Voraciously: Picnics in the park

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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Picnics in the park

When my mother talks about Iran, the country she was born in, the place she left behind so many years ago — not knowing then that she'd never return — she gets a faraway look in her eyes. "The cities, the countryside, the architecture and the land … it was so beautiful," she says. "The grassy hills, the rocky mountains, the orchards and walled gardens." She describes fields of wildflowers and busy city streets, her father's collection of doves — he had a name for every one — and the long drives they'd take as a family when she was young. "In the summertime, we'd go on road trips," she says, her eyes returning to mine. "We'd always bring kotlet."

Kotlet are meat and potato patties seasoned with onions and spices and pan fried until browned and crisp. They can be round or oval shaped, fat or thin, small as a silver dollar or as large as your hand. They can be eaten for any meal, or as a snack. Generally, they're served simply with crunchy vegetables and fresh herbs, or made into sandwiches.

My mother likes folding kotlet into flatbread along with a few sprigs of parsley or basil, a slice of tomato and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. They're good hot, warm or at room temperature, making them an ideal meal for road trips and picnics.

There are many ways to make them. Some people boil potatoes and mash them with the ground meat; others roast the potatoes before grating them. Some recipes call for battering or breading each patty before frying them. In my version, I parcook the potatoes in the microwave, because it takes less time than either boiling or roasting. While that's happening, I mix together ground beef, grated onion, minced garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. When the potatoes are halfway done and cool enough to handle, I grate them on the large holes of a box grater right into the bowl with the meat mixture, discarding the potato peels as I go. Then, I knead in a couple of eggs, making sure everything is well-mixed and a little sticky.

This can be done a few hours or a day in advance. When you're ready to fry, heat some oil in a large, deep-sided skillet. I know the oil is hot enough when a pinch of the kotlet mixture sizzles on contact. I like to shape the kotlets like their cognate, into palm-sized oval cutlets. I drop each into the oil and adjust the heat to maintain an even temperature. After a few minutes, I'll carefully flip each one and cook it until it's deep golden brown on both sides. Then, it gets transferred to a towel-lined plate to drain slightly. I find it impossible to resist a taste of the first kotlet, still piping hot. As the rest of the kotlet cook, I slice cucumbers and tomatoes, pluck handfuls of fresh parsley, basil and tarragon and quarter a lemon.

Once the kotlet have cooled a little, I pack the food into reusable containers, placing squares of lavash in with the kotlet to warm the bread up. It all goes into a basket or satchel with napkins, drinks and maybe something sweet for dessert. Then, I'll head to a park to meet friends and unpack my spread on a big blanket. Or, if there's a long drive ahead, I'll have my mom's favorite snack to serve when it's time for lunch — and be ready to retell her stories and memories of Iran along the way.

Today's recipe

Photos by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post

Kotlet (Persian Meat and Potato Patties)

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To save or print this recipe, view it in our Recipe Finder here.

Servings: 4 to 6 (makes 16 patties)
Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

3 small yellow potatoes (12 ounces total), unpeeled
1 pound ground beef
1 small yellow onion (6 ounces), shredded
2 large eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed, for frying
Sliced tomatoes, for serving
Sliced cucumbers, for serving
Fresh tender herbs, such as parsley and basil, for serving
Flatbread, such as lavash, for serving

Steps

1. Line a baking sheet or plate with a clean paper bag or towels and place it near the stove.

2. Place the potatoes on a small plate and microwave them for 4 to 6 minutes on HIGH, or until partially cooked but not completely soft. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the meat, onion, eggs, garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt, cinnamon and pepper. Grate the potatoes into the bowl, discarding any potato skin that comes loose. Using your hands, mix and knead the mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. The mixture will be somewhat wet.

4. Divide the mixture into 16 equal portions and shape each one into a 1/2-inch-thick round or oval patty; transfer them to a platter or baking sheet.

5. Set a 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to come 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan and heat it until a little piece of the meat mixture dropped into the pan sizzles immediately. Then, working in batches, carefully slide the patties into the oil, letting them fall away from you so you don't get splattered with the hot oil. Leave at least 1 inch of space between the patties. Use a splatter guard as needed.

6. Cook each patty until deeply browned, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the patties and cook until well browned on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the cooked patties to the prepared baking sheet or plate to drain and repeat with the remaining mixture, adding more oil to the skillet and adjusting the heat as needed.

7. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs and flatbread on the side.

Tested by Kara Elder.

Due to the variable oil absorption when frying, nutritional analysis is not available.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas:

In place of ground beef >> try this with ground lamb, bison, turkey or a plant-based substitute.
Instead of potatoes >> use cooked, riced cauliflower or sauteed and finely chopped greens. You may need to add another egg to help bind everything together.
If you don't have onions or garlic >> chopped scallions are nice in this, or you can skip them entirely and use an infused oil to cook the patties.