Kotlet (Persian Ground Meat and Potato Patties)

One of my strongest childhood memories in Iran is the uniquely luscious smell that would fill the house a few short minutes after the first few kotlet patties had been pan-fried in the kitchen. This smell would signal that it was time to rush into the kitchen to see if I could distract the cook in order to steal one of the first, still sizzling-hot kotlets as a quick snack. My wife, who did not grow up with Persian cuisine, is similarly drawn to the kitchen as soon as I start pan-frying a batch, volunteering to “test” one or two!

Kotlets are pan-fried patties made from a mixture of ground meat, eggs, and finely mashed (or riced) boiled potatoes. Mine are spiced with a simple mixture of salt, black pepper, and turmeric. Though one will encounter flavoring variations depending on the region of Iran and the cook who's making them. Kotlets are quite popular and very well known across the entire country of Iran as well as the Persian diaspora. Their popularity stems from their ease of making and their versatility: They can be served hot or cold, and they can function as a main dish, an accompaniment, or a quick small snack. In addition to being served for meals at home, they are favored for picnics and as a delicious sandwich filling.  

When freshly made (or when properly reheated in a toaster oven), they have a soft crust and a delicate interior that does not feel dense or oily. Their flavor leans more towards potato, with the lamb and seasonings playing more subtle but important supporting roles. Left on the kitchen counter unattended, they will disappear quickly.

History of Kotlets

Within the Persian culinary landscape, there is a family of pan-fried patties (meat-based as well as vegetarian),  some of which have been around for a long time. Kotlets are relative newcomers to this family, as potatoes were not introduced to Iran until sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In fact, the Persian word "kotlet" is a loanword based on the French word "côtelette," which had found its way into the Persian language shortly after European travelers began to explore Iran extensively in the early 19th century.

Although it’s not an ancient dish, it is one of the most popular ones. Since the meat constitutes less than 50 percent of a kotlet’s ingredients by weight, some members of the Iranian diaspora communities in North America refer to it as the “Persian healthy hamburger.”

Kotlet Ingredients: A Closer Look

Ground lamb or beef are the go-to meats for this dish. Although Persians love lamb, they just as often make kotlets with beef. When it comes to the coarseness of the ground meat or its fat content, kotlet is very forgiving, so you can go with your normal preferences. 

The most readily available potato varieties in Iran are Pashandi (brown-skin, high-starch potatoes, similar to russets) and Estānboli (yellow-skin, low-starch potatoes, shaped like fingerlings). Iranian cooks typically use the high-starch variety for their kotlets.

Over the years, I have tested making kotlets with a variety of commonly available potatoes, including russet, Yukon Gold, red, and fingerling potatoes. Based on my tests, the high-starch, low-moisture content and floury texture of russet potatoes makes them ideal for producing authentic-tasting Persian kotlets that have a crunchy crust and delicate interior. Russet potatoes also cook faster and break down into a mash more easily than other types.

Method and Equipment

It's best to cook and process your potatoes as though you were going to make fluffy mashed potatoes, meaning: Peel them, cut them into approximately 2-inch chucks, and wash them before boiling (to remove surface starches that can cause gumminess); rinse them after boiling (to remove surface starches once more); and mash them into a smooth mass with no chunks. Although a conventional potato masher will work, the best and quickest method is to use a ricer or a food mill, if you have one. Never use a food processor to mash your potatoes as it will release too much starch, turning your potatoes into an undesirable, stretchy mess.

It's important not to mix the mashed potatoes with the other ingredients until after they have already been partially mixed with each other. Otherwise, the heat of the mashed potatoes may scramble the eggs, which is not what you want.

Once all the ingredients have been mixed into a uniform tacky mass, my directions ask you—simply for the sake of efficiency—to scoop out the entire mixture into 50-gram portions  before forming the first patty. Only then do you form the patties one at a time, putting each formed patty into the skillet before forming the next one. There are two reasons for this. First, if you made all the patties ahead of time, including lightly coating them with flour, the flour on the surface would be absorbed by the moist patty mixture and would fail to properly crisp up once fried. Second, every time a patty is placed in the hot skillet, the temperature of the oil drops. Forming the patties one at a time and adding them incrementally slows the rate at which they go into the pan, allowing the oil temperature to recover in between patties. 

Sometimes, meat patties have the tendency to balloon during pan-frying. Slightly dimpling the patties prevents ballooning and helps even cooking. After placing each patty in the frying pan, gently press the back of a soup spoon onto the middle of the patty, making a slight dimple – not more than 1/8 inch deep. 

While pan-frying, carefully shaking the pan (sliding it back and forth) from time to time distributes the oil uniformly around the patties, increasing the efficiency of the conduction and convection heating that is taking place, and producing more even browning. It also reduces the chances of patties sticking to the pan.

How to Serve

Traditionally speaking, as a main dish, kotlets are often served hot with some crispy potatoes (French fries, shoestring fries, or oven-roasted—who doesn't enjoy a little starch-on-starch?), along with one or more sides of sliced fresh tomatoes, salty cucumber pickles, yogurt, and flatbread. As an accompaniment, they are served hot along with plain Persian steamed white rice (chelow) or with any number of Persian rice dishes called polows, which are flavored with a wide range of vegetables, legumes, dried fruit, or nuts.

Freshly pan-fried kotlets can be kept warm, while retaining much of their gentle external crispiness, by transferring them to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet in a 250°F (120°C) oven until serving time.

Cold kotlets are popular snacks at home and are perfect for lunch boxes. Huge piles of them are taken to picnics accompanied by some sort of Persian flatbread such as lavāsh, sangak, tāftoon, barbari, or another type of flatbread such as pita.

One of the most popular traditional Persian sandwiches is made with kotlet: A few cold kotlets are placed inside of a slitted 6- to 8-inch bread roll (e.g., Persian bolki bread, Vietnamese Banh Mi bread, hero roll, ciabatta, baton, or a piece of baguette) which has been slathered with butter and/or spicy mustard along with some combination of fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, and salty cucumber pickles.

You should try it, if you have any leftovers.