Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

January 29, 2017 by Caroline's Cooking

These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes are a delicious combination of soft mashed potato around a spiced lamb filling. A great snack or part of a meze plate.

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I've admitted before that we are not exactly big football watchers in our house, but I can appreciate game day snacks. These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes may be far from traditional football fare, but they have all the right qualities.

For a start, you eat them with your fingers and they're dipable. Delicious mashed Idaho® potatoes wrapped around spiced lamb, fried to give them a little crunchy crust. You really should give them a try, whether you're a football fan or not.

Our lack of football frenzy

For me, it's mainly that I wasn't brought up with football, or American football as it is to me. And to be honest, I find it all takes way too long. (I know, me coming from the country that gave us cricket but I'm not a fan of that either.)

While my husband does support his local team, they are not on TV that much here. We do have the photos of my eldest watching a game when he was only a few months old, complete with my husband's team-colored onesie (his side of the family made sure we had them!). But it's not a regular occurrence - hockey is the sport of choice in our house.

Potato-ful party snacks

As I say, though, I can appreciate game day snacks and Idaho® potatoes can make a great part of whatever you might put together. Potatoes can get a bad reputation health-wise, but did you know they're a great source of potassium, vitamin B6 as well as being fat-free and gluten-free?

Idaho® potatoes are known for their consistency of flavor and they're available year round. Due to the climate they are grown in, there are consistently high solids in the russets, for example, which means fluffier baked potatoes and mash that you can't mess up.

If you're looking for game day ideas, not only are there these lamb stuffed potato cakes, but why not go Spanish with some tasty patatas bravas or Spanish tortilla. You could also make a potato bar, whether that's a mashed potato or baked potato bar, with various self-serve toppings, or what about hash browns or German potato pancakes to dip or load up. Plus, see all the other ideas below for more inspiration.

Making and serving Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes are based on a recipe from the Moro cookbook but I've seen other versions as well. I first made the original version years ago and instantly loved them. They're easy to make as all you do is cook some potatoes and mash them, adding a little flour. Meanwhile, cook the onion and lamb with the spices and add the pine nuts. Take small amounts of the potato and flatten it, add some filling and wrap the potato around it. Fry to brown and crisp up the outside then serve.

Here's a video that shows you how they're made in a bit more detail:

These stuffed potato cakes make a great snack, particularly dipped in the yogurt sauce I've suggested. Although you can try them with whatever dip you fancy. Or just eat them as they are, of course. I've made them a little smaller so they're a perfect hand-help snack that's great for serving a crowd. Comforting flavors and perfect finger food. What more could you need as part of your game day menu (or just because).

Try these other Persian recipes:

Dolmeh barge mo (stuffed grape/vine leaves)
Kuku sabzi (herb frittata)
Persian herb rice with fish
Plus get more Persian recipes in the archives.

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5 from 5 votes