Baked köftes topped with garlicky mashed potato (Hasan Paşa köftesi)

Thought to be named after Hasan Paşa, a prominent Ottoman military leader, this comforting bake with its delicious topping of garlicky mashed potato is deservedly popular. In fact, the garlicky mash is so scrumptious that it’s worth making a double portion and keeping some to serve as a side or another time.

• serves

  5-7

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

For the köftes

• 85 g (3 oz) stale white bread, sliced (use gluten-free, if preferred)
• 1 large onion, grated
• small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp pul biber
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) minced (ground) beef or a mixture of beef and lamb (15% fat)
• 1–1½ tsp salt, or to taste freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil, to grease the roasting tin (pan)
• small bowl of room temperature water with a drizzle of olive oil

For the mashed potatoes

• 400 g (14 oz) floury white potatoes, quartered
• 15 g (3 tsp) butter
• 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
• 30 ml (1 fl oz) whole milk
• 55 g (2 oz) kaşar peyniri or medium cheddar, grated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the vegetables

• 1 onion, coarsely chopped into chunks about 3 cm x 3 cm (1¼ x 1¼ in)
• 2 red capsicum ((bell peppers, deseeded and coarsely chopped into chunks about 3 cm x 3 cm (1¼ x 1¼ in)
• 3 tsp double concentrated tomato purée (paste)
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 400 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 310 ml (11 fl oz) water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chilling time: 20 minutes.

Instructions

1. First make the köfte mixture. Briefly soak the bread in water. Squeeze out the excess water with your hands, place in a bowl, then add the onion, parsley, spices and eggs and knead together with your hands. This will soften the onion and blend everything well. Stir in the minced meat, season with salt and black pepper and knead the mixture with your hands again for a minute or so until well mixed. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F (180˚C fan-forced). Grease a large roasting tin (pan) with the 3 teaspoons of olive oil.
3. Wet your fingers in the bowl of water and oil, then take a large tangerine-sized piece of köfte mixture into your hands, roll it into a ball and place in the tin. Flatten the ball slightly, so that it has a diameter of roughly 8 cm (3 in).
4. Press the middle to create a deep hollow in the centre (leaving a 2 cm/ ¾ in lip around the edge) to hold the garlicky mash later. Once you have shaped all the köftes (you should be able to make roughly 10 chunky köftes) place them side by side and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside.
5. While the köftes are baking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the potatoes, partially cover, lower the heat to medium, and cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and place on a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the potato skin. Melt the butter in the same saucepan over low heat, add the potatoes, garlic and milk, season with salt and black pepper and mash thoroughly, then stir in the grated cheese until you have a smooth and creamy texture. Set aside.
6. Place the köftes on a large plate, leaving the juices in the roasting tin. Put the onions and peppers in the tin, add the tomato purée, drizzle over the olive oil and combine well. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and water (swirling a little of the water in the can to capture any remaining bits of tomato), season with salt and black pepper, and mix well. Put the köftes back in the roasting tin, in amongst the vegetables, and place a generous tablespoon of the garlicky mash in the centre of each one. Bake, uncovered, for 30–35 minutes or until the top of the garlicky mash is lightly browned and vegetables are cooked.
7. Serve hot with plain rice or pilaf and cacık (yoghurt and cucumber dip), optional.

This is an edited extract from Istanbul by Özlem Warren (Quadrille, AU$55). Photography: Sam A Harris.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.