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These stuffed potato patties are the perfect weeknight dinner. Creamy mashed potatoes are stuffed with a tasty beef filling and seared to perfection.
It’s so easy to make Persian recipes and many of them don’t even call for an exotic ingredients. Dishes like Stuffed Fish with Pomegranates and Walnuts or Kotlet (Persian Meat Patties) are some of the dishes that are very common in Iranian households. This recipe stuffed potato patties is a family favorite that we’ve been making and loving for years and now I can’t wait to share it with you.
Stuffed potato cakes
Simple potato patties are so easy to make and they taste great. I love making a big batch of them and have them during the week. If I have more time at hand, I will turn those simple potato cakes into these stuffed potato cakes by making an easy ground beef filling. These are so easy to make and kids love them. The addition of turmeric adds a nice color and flavor to this easy potato cakes recipe.
What do I need to make this recipe?
This recipe is made of two parts: the potato mash and the ground beef filling. Here are all the ingredients you need to make this recipe:
For the potato mash:
- Potatoes
- Eggs
- Flour
- Spices – Turmeric, salt and pepper
For the ground beef filling:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Ground beef
- Spices – Salt, pepper and turmeric
- Tomato sauce or tomato paste
That’s all you need to make this delicious Persian recipe. We love biting into jumbo size potato cakes stuffed with this beefy goodness. It’s definitely one of our favorite comfort foods.
What kind of potatoes to use?
For this recipe, you can use either russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes. You need potatoes that are starchy enough so the mashed potatoes sticks together when stuffed and fried. Check out this article about different types of potatoes and their uses to learn more.
How to make stuffed potato cakes
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Boil then until they are fork tender.
- Drain and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Mash them using a potato masher or a fork.
- Add in the eggs, flour, turmeric, salt and pepper. Mix well to form a sticky mixture.
- To make the beef filling, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Saute onion until golden. This could take about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef and break it into small chunks. Brown the ground beef.
- Stir in the salt, pepper and turmeric. Add in the tomato paste or the tomato sauce. Cook until the excess liquid is evaporated.
- Wet your hands and form the potato patties in your hands. Top with about one tablespoon of the beef filling. Seal the edges completely, keeping your hands and fingers wet for easy sealing.
- Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Sear the stuffed potato patties for about 5 minutes on each side until they’re cooked completely.
What to serve stuffed potato cakes with
Like many other Persian dishes, these potato cakes can be served with typical Persian side dishes such as yogurt and cucumber (mast o khiar), Salad shirazi, marinated olives (zeytoon parvardeh) or just simple homemade yogurt (made in instant pot).
Do these freeze well?
These stuffed potato cakes freeze pretty well. There are two ways to freeze these:
- Freeze uncooked patties: Make and shape the stuffed potato patties as instructed in the recipe but don’t fry them. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the patties on the baking sheet in one layer. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and let it freeze for about 2 hours until the patties are solid. Once they are solid, place the in a freezer bag or in a container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To cook, take out as many patties as you need and let them thaw in the fridge (on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper). Heat some oil and fry them for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Freeze cooked patties: Prepare the recipe as instructed in the recipe card. Let the patties cool completely and then place them in a container or a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let them thaw for a few hours in the fridge and then heat them in the oven at 275ºF for 20 minutes or until heated through. You can also microwave these patties.
Kitchen tip: If you have ground beef filling leftovers, freeze them in a container and use them later to make soups, or repeat this recipe.
Tools and ingredients used in this recipe:
Persian Stuffed Potato Patties
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 3 Russet potatoes, washed and peeled
- 5 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 large eggs
Ground beef filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/2 lb ground beef, lean
- 1/2 can tomato sauce, or 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 4 tbsp Olive oil , for frying
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into large chunks and boil them until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes.
- Mash the potatoes and mix them with eggs, flour, salt, pepper and turmeric. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Saute onion until golden.
- Add in the ground beef and brown it completely. Break the ground beef into small chunks as you're cooking it.
- Add in the tomato sauce or the tomato paste, turmeric, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the excess liquid is evaporated. Let the filling cool completely.
- Wet your hands and grab about 3 tablespoons of the potato mixture. Flatten it and place some of the ground beef filling in the middle. Wet your fingers again and bring the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and ground beef filling.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and sear the stuffed potato cakes for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until they're fully cooked.
- Serve with Persian cucumber tomato salad or yogurt.
Video
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- You can add minced garlic or chopped red bell pepper to the ground beef filling.
- Use ground turkey or chicken for a healthier version of this recipe.
- Serve this Persian stuffed potato cakes with salad shirazi or marinated olives.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I found the recipe to be bland. The addition of a vegetable in the ground beef could improve it, also, perhaps a little sumac or coriander. It was really fun to try bit it didn’t seem to be Persian. The potato part was great.