Kabobs for Toddlers (Kotlet)
The Persian meat patty dish known as kotlet is, essentially, what happens if a hamburger woke up one morning and decided to be a potato pancake. What’s so special about that you ask? Well, everything. For starters, it has the Goldilocks texture we’re looking for: because of the copious amount of potatoes and onions in the grind, the exterior crisps while the inside stays soft, providing a supple mouthfeel that’s easy for young ones to eat and enjoy. The seasoning is vivid but accessible: lots of warming spices (i.e. cinnamon, cumin) are present, but the meat and potatoes make them manageable. Sure, it’s just a meat patty, but it’s a darn good one.
It’s also a particularly good dish to evolve and expand as your child’s feeding practices and teeth develop–particularly during times of teething. In what follows, I present a toddler version of the real deal version, really highlighting the textures and flavors; in the ‘Adapt’ section below, I also include an infant-friendly version, keeping it soft and simple.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep
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Poke holes all around the potato and microwave it on High for roughly five minutes. If the potato is soft and a bit chalky, remove and allow to cool; if it’s still hard in some places, continue microwaving at 30-second intervals until innards are soft.
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When cool enough to do so, remove skin and smoosh contents of potato in a large bowl. Grate or dice half an onion into the bowl, then crack in and mix an egg.
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Toss in the meat and generous pouring of each spice, then mix all ingredients together until integrated. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, if you can.
Cook
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Put a generous pool of oil in a large pan and set to Medium High. Grab a clump of meat mixture and flatten it into your palm, such that it creates a round patty; place the patty into the pan, then repeat until you fill the pan.
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Cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook until both sides have a brown and caramelized exterior, which should be about another four minutes on the other side.
Serve
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Spritz with a bit of lemon, then cut into strips, cubes, or chunks depending on your child’s chewing ability. Our yogurt sauce is great with this, but a little bit of ketchup or tomato sauce is all you need, if anything.
Iranians love to eat kotlet in sandwich form–often cold!--so use bread or bun as an opportunity to stick in some new ingredients, such as diced tomatoes, ripped up spinach leaves, or even hummus into the mix. Makes for a great lunch the next day.
Adapt
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If making for an infant, preheat your oven to 375, then either grate a raw potato or grab a half-cup of pre-cut frozen hash browns. Grate the onion into a large mixing bowl, discarding any excess liquid; then add the egg and meat as above, along with 1TSP each of cinnamon and garlic + ½ TSP each of the other spices. Toss the grated potato on top, then use your hands to press and shape all the ingredients together. Form into patties; place on an oiled-up baking pan; and cook for twelve minutes, flipping the patties at the six- or seven-minute mark.
Note
Note about the fat content of the meat: if you chose to use ground beef with a fat ratio of less than 20%, or if you substitute turkey or chicken in its place, add in a spoonful or mayonnaise to the mixture--this will add additional fat and moisture needed to get a crackly exterior.
