recipe
Persian Kotlet: crispy beef and potato patties
Thin Persian beef-and-potato patties made with raw grated russets and squeezed onion. Pan-fry gently and check the ground-beef center with a thermometer.
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Ingredients and method
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, kept refrigerated until mixing
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and finely grated while raw
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely grated and squeezed of its extra juice
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less to start
- 4 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil for shallow frying, plus a little more only if pan becomes dry
- Sliced tomato and pickles or lavash-style flatbread for serving, optional
Method
- Grate the onion and squeeze it firmly in a clean towel or fine strainer; discard the liquid. Finely grate the raw potatoes. Keep the beef refrigerated until ready to mix.
- Combine beef, potato, squeezed onion, egg, flour, turmeric, pepper and salt. Mix until cohesive. The mixture will be sticky; do not taste it raw.
- Heat enough of the oil to coat a wide skillet over medium heat. With lightly damp hands, shape small portions of about two tablespoons into thin ovals, about 1/4–3/8 inch thick. Keep the uncooked mixture refrigerated between batches.
- Fry a few patties at a time without crowding. Let a crust form before turning carefully, then cook the other side. Begin checking around five minutes per side, lowering the heat if they brown too quickly.
- Check several patties, including the thickest, with a thin instant-read probe inserted from the side: the ground-beef center must reach 160°F (71°C), and the grated potato should be tender. Continue cooking as needed. Use a clean plate for cooked patties and wash utensils that touched raw meat.
- Serve with optional tomatoes, pickles or flatbread. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Reheat to 165°F (74°C).
Raw-potato kotlet
Kotlet (کتلت, also cotlet) combines meat and potato in a flattened patty. This version follows Shadi Hasanzadenemati's raw-russet approach: fine grating and thin shaping help the potato cook alongside the beef.
Other methods start with cooked potatoes. Homa pairs par-cooked potato with turkey and a cracker coating; Omid Roustaei uses cooked potato and milk-soaked breadcrumbs. Those are separate mixtures, not instructions to change this one midway.
Manage moisture before frying
Squeeze the grated onion thoroughly before mixing. Fine potato shreds distribute more evenly than long coarse strands. The mixture is meant to be sticky, so use lightly damp hands instead of adding flour until it becomes dry.
Small, flat patties let the center cook before the crust burns. Leave space in the skillet, turn once the base holds together, and reduce the heat if browning outruns cooking.
Sources: [1]
Check the center and keep utensils separate
Ground beef must reach 160°F (71°C). Color is not a substitute for a thermometer, and the raw potato should also be tender. Ground poultry has a different 165°F (74°C) endpoint and is outside this beef recipe.
Contains egg and wheat. Keep raw mixture separate from ready-to-eat tomato and pickles. Clean hands, boards and tools after raw-meat contact; keep cooked patties on a clean serving plate.
Research sources
- Shadi Hasanzadenemati — Kotlet Persian Meat Patties, Unicorns in the Kitchen (checked 2026-10-22)
- Homa — Crispy Turkey Cutlets Kotlet, Persian Mama (checked 2026-10-22)
- Omid Roustaei — Cotlet Meat and Potato Patties, The Caspian Chef (checked 2026-10-22)
- FoodSafety.gov — Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature (checked 2026-10-22)
- U.S. FDA — Safe Food Handling (checked 2026-10-22)