Name: Baked Kafta and Potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: ¾ lb Kafta; 3 Potatoes; 2 Onions; 2 Tomatoes; 3 tb. Tomato Paste; 2½ cups Water; 1 cube Chicken Bouillon; 1 ts. Salt; ½ ts. Black Pepper; 1 tb. Vegetable Oil

I love comforting home-cooked meals especially during Ramadan. This baked kafta and potatoes is definitely one of those. It is called “Kafta bi Seniyah,” which literally translates into “Kafta in the pan.”

Kafta is a Lebanese version of a kabob, it is made with spiced ground meat mixed with chopped onion and parsley. It is very simple to make and tastes wonderful grilled in the summertime, or in a casserole just like this one.

What is in Kafta bi Seniyah?

Kafta patties are topped with cooked potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and simmered with a seasoned tomato sauce. While most of the time, you will find the kafta shaped into patties, there are actually many ways to shape them for this dish. One “lazy” way is to just press the kafta down on the bottom of the baking pan and make one large kafta patty.

The potatoes are typically deep fried but, I opted to bake them. Some people like to add the potato slices in raw, as it will cook in oven but, won’t have the same crispy factor. Another wonderful option for the potatoes, is to air fry them!

The kafta is also baked beforehand where it shrinks substantially so, take that into consideration when forming your patties. Along with the sliced onions and tomatoes, I also love to add sliced green bell peppers. This is optional but, delicious!

The tomato sauce is very simple in this dish. I dissolve tomato paste in hot water, along with a chicken or beef bouillon cubes, salt and black pepper. Like most Middle-Eastern stews, this is served over a white vermicelli rice.

STEP 1

Form the Kafta into patties using your hands and place into an oven-safe casserole dish.Bake for 20 minutes on 375F.

STEP 2

Peel and slice the potatoes into ¼ inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle vegetable oil and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 mins on 375F.

Halfway through baking, flip the potatoes over.

*You could also deep fry the potatoes, or air fry. They need about 20-22 minutes in the air fryer on 390. Make sure to shake every 5 minutes!

STEP 3

Top the patties with the cooked potato slices, sliced onions followed by the tomatoes. In a separate bowl, dissolve the tomato paste in water, along with the chicken bouillion.* Season with salt and pepper and pour into the casserole.

*Chicken bouillon/water mixture can be substituted with chicken broth.