Baked Persian Kotlet

Kotlet is an iconic, classic patty made with ground meat, grated potatoes and onions, and the best of Persian spices – a Persian meat and potato patty. In its classic form kotlet is deep fried in a pan. In my modern rendition, we bake the kotlet patties. Using this cooking strategy requires no oil, hence saving calories while maintaining the flavor by using the traditional spices for a classic kotlet experience.

Memories of Kotlet

I have fond memories of my grandma whom we nick-named Maman Doe.  “Doe” is the Farsi word for the number “two” and my brother and cousins and I definitely considered our Maman Doe to be like a 2nd mom to us.  When our Maman Doe would visit us from Iran in our hometown of Michigan one of the first things she’d do is knead, shape, and fry up our favorite kotlet.  As a kid, I loved eating them hot off the griddle and dipped in ketchup! 

Admittedly I still love them with ketchup, however, my adult palate also welcomes fresh cilantro, pickles, and sweet cherry tomatoes for a more classic kotlet experience.

Modern Kotlet

In my kotlet recipe creation journey, I experimented with using almost every variety of ground meat.  I made them using ground turkey and I made them using ground chicken.  I even experimented with using a vegetarian meat product.  In each version, I kept the grated potatoes and onions as well as all of the yummy spices.  All the varieties were delicious with my favorite being the combination of ground turkey.

It can be a bit labor-intensive to knead the ingredients together and shape the patties, however, kotlet patties can be batch cooked to be enjoyed all week.  Kotlet is even tastier once the spices have settled in.  In my opinion the patties taste equally delicious at room temperature and even cold!

As mentioned, kotlet always starts with a base of ground meat and grated potatoes.  Beyond the meat and potatoes, the ingredients and spices vary from chef to chef and from family to family.   Here is a shortlist of the spices I like to use in my version of Baked Persian Kotlet.

Spices:

• turmeric
• bloomed saffron
• garlic
• red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper

Using breadcrumbs mixed into the kotlet mixture is optional however I find that it helps produce a patty that is less sticky and easier to work with and shape.  The bread crumbs also bake up nicely in the patties and help to create a crispy crunchy kotlet mocking the deep-fried version I grew up enjoying.

Tips

Be sure to read through all of my recipe notes on the recipe card in this post.  My biggest tip is to squeeze out the liquid after grating the onions especially but also after grating the potato.  Simply squeeze the grated vegetables with your hand while still on a large cutting board and tip the board over a sink.  Do this several times until there is no more liquid dripping from the veggies.  This also helps with making crispy, crunchy baked kotlet.

If you like modern flavors, try kotlet dipped in ketchup which is how I remember eating it as a kid in Michigan.  For a more Persian experience, try it alongside some Persian Yogurt Dip | Mast o Khiar.  Baked kotlet is a great addition to a Persian Herb Platter | Sabzi Khordan.