When I was a little girl I wasn't a fan of ground meat, probably because the Mediterranean diet I grew up on didn't have a lot of recipes that used it, or at least I wasn't served many. Kotlet was one of the few recipes that utilized it, and I'll be honest, as a child I was not a huge fan. However, now that I'm older this recipe is one of the few things with ground meat that I enjoy. Every member of my household loves it as well. Cooking from scratch the way I do often takes a lot of thinking and prepping ahead of time, but that's not the case here. This is definitely one of my go-to meals when I need to throw something together quickly. Traditionally kotlets are served with flatbread, fresh herbs, tomatoes, pickles and I like to add a herbed yogurt sauce similar to a tzatziki sauce. Think Gyros or Mediterranean sandwiches. But there's no rules on how to eat these. Enjoy them with a fresh salad, veggies, quinoa or whatever you would like. Another thing you will notice is that these can be made with shredded raw potatoes, cooked masked potatoes, or even sweet potatoes. Every style works. Every way works. I use shredded raw potatoes typically, but I have made them every way.
Ingredients:
1 Pound ground beef or lamb
2 Large potatoes
1 Onion
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 Teaspoon turmeric
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Directions:
Grate the onion and squeeze it very well to strain out all the juices.
Peel and grate the potato, or bake the potato until tender, remove skins and mash.
In a large bowl, combine meat, onion and potatoes.
Add flour, spices and egg
Mix until everything is combined, this is best done with your hands
The mixture will be sticky and wetting your hands can help when shaping the patties. Form 8 patties into oval shapes.
Coat the bottom of a frying pan with your preferred cooking oil and heat over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, place in kotlet, I like to do 4 at a time so the pan isn't overcrowded.
Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side.
If you'd like to try a sauce with it, here how I make mine:
Mix
1/2 cup Sour cream or greek style yogurt
1/2 cup mayo
Juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon dried dill
1 Tablespoon dried parsley ( or handful of chopped fresh parsley)
1 garlic clove very finely minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Make this ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it becomes.