Izmir Kofte Recipe (Turkish Hamburger)

**sevgi** · 04-18-2010, 11:00 AM

This is one of mine and my husband's favorite recipes. It is actually a recipe I inherited from my mom. I grew up with Turkish cooking. This is a great recipe if you are wanting to venture out and try another cultures foods, but it isn't too far off from a hamburger, aside from the spices. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
*1 lb. Ground Beef
*1 Egg
*1/4 Plain Bread Crumbs
*1 T. Sumac
*1 1/2 t. Salt
*1 T. Red Pepper Flakes or powdered form
*1 t. Black Pepper
*1 T. Cumin
*1/4 C. Chopped Parsley
Potatoes
*3 Large Potatoes, washed,peeled, and sliced
Tomatoes
*1 15 oz. Can of Diced Tomatoes
Other
1/2 C. (or more) Flour
3 T. Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Preparation
*In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients under "Kofte".
*Shape them into disks (see above picture). Depending on the size, the amount of kofte will vary.
*Put to the side.
*Wash, peel, and slice the potatoes.
*On a plate, spread some flour.
*In a pan, heat up the vegetable oil. You are not deep frying so you need just enough oil to fry.
*Open the can of tomatoes and put to the side. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
*Grab each kofte, dip in the flour (both sides), and place in the hot pan. Cook 3 minutes per side or until brown.
*Place on a plate with paper towels to soak up the extra oil.
*Repeat until all the kofte is cooked.
*Add more oil to the pan.
*Add the cut potatoes and cook 5 minutes per side. Repeat until all the potatoes are cooked.Place on a plate with paper towels to soak up the extra oil.
*In a casserole dish, empty the can of diced tomatoes. You may want sprinkle some salt on top, if desired.
*Place potatoes on top of the diced tomatoes. On top of each potato, add the kofte. Depending on how many potatoes you have, you may have some extra which is OK.
*Place in the 400 degree F oven. Cook for about 20-25 minutes.
*Serve as is or serve on top of rice.