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Baked Kefta with Tahini
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During a recent visit to Jordan, we learned the term “kefta” refers to a ground meat mixture flavored with onion and spices that may take a number of different forms. For example, it might be molded around metal skewers and grilled, or it can be pressed into other shapes and cooked in the oven. Tagreed Muhtaseb, a home cook who lives in Amman, taught us how to make her excellent kefta bi tahini (kefta with tahini) in which oblong “meatballs” are baked with potatoes, onion and a rich, lemony tahini-yogurt sauce. In the oven’s heat, the flavors meld and fuse deliciously while the surface develops flavorful browning. We adapted Muhtaseb’s recipe, precooking the potatoes and onion so they fully and evenly tenderize. We also brush tahini sauce rather sparingly onto the partially cooked kefta instead of saucing them heavily to keep the flavors bright and clean (we do love the sauce, though, so we serve some on the side at the table). Baharat is an all-purpose Middle Eastern spice blend. Look for it in well-stocked supermarkets, spice shops and Middle Eastern markets.
4 to 6
Servings
Tip
Don’t use room-temperature water to make the tahini sauce. Some brands of tahini tend to break when mixed with liquid, but we found that boiling water helps ensure a smooth, silky texture.
1½ hours
30 minutes active
½ cup tahini
¼ cup boiling water
¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
¼ cup lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 pound medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, ½ thinly sliced, ½ roughly chopped, reserved separately
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
½ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley to serve
1 jalapeño chili, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon ghee or salted butter, room temperature
1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
2 teaspoons baharat (see headnote)
Warm pita bread, to serve
Ingredients
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½
cup tahini
-
¼
cup boiling water
-
¼
cup plain whole-milk yogurt
-
¼
cup lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
-
1
pound medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced ¼ inch thick
-
1
tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
-
1
large yellow onion, ½ thinly sliced, ½ roughly chopped, reserved separately
-
2
medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
-
½
cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley to serve
-
1
jalapeño chili, stemmed and seeded
-
1
tablespoon ghee or salted butter, room temperature
-
1
pound 80 percent lean ground beef
-
2
teaspoons baharat (see headnote)
-
Warm pita bread, to serve
Directions
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01Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. Put the tahini into a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the boiling water, followed by the yogurt, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Measure 2 tablespoons of the tahini sauce into another small bowl to use for brushing; reserve the remainder for serving.
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02In a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, toss the potatoes with the oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Shingle the slices in the pie plate in concentric circles. Scatter on the sliced onion and pour in ¼ cup water. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
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03Remove the foil and bake until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance, about another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; leave the oven on.
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04In a food processor, combine the chopped onion, the garlic, parsley and jalapeño. Process until finely chopped, scraping the bowl once or twice, about 1 minute. Add the ghee and pulse until combined, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the beef, baharat, 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Lightly moisten your hands to prevent sticking, then shape the mixture into nine 3-inch cigars (about ¼ cup each) and place them, evenly spaced, on top of the potato-onion mixture.
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05Bake until the kefta begin to brown and release some juices, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pie plate from the oven and brush the kefta with the 2 tablespoons reserved tahini sauce. Return to the oven and bake until the kefta are nicely browned and the centers reach 160°F, another 10 to 12 minutes.
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06Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with the tahini sauce, lemon wedges and pita.
Reviews
January 23, 2023
Woohoo yummy kefta
Turned out great, the kefta needed a little longer in my oven than directed, than again my over kinda sucks and the reading of temperature probably isn't accurate. Delicious, tender, well seasoned, the bed of potato and onion was just as good, well balanced tahini sauce, and super fun and easy to make. 10/10
January 14, 2023
Excellent
Excellent Kafta recipe. It's so easy and better than you'll find in most restaurants-including in the Middle East. Everyone loved this recipe. If at all possible, I would recommend trying to use the baharat.
January 6, 2023
Delicious meatballs with a unique flavor and presentation
Made this recipe last night for the family and it was a big hit! Although the recipe takes a good bit of time (due to the cooking of the potato/onions first and then meatballs), it was fairly straightforward to make . I didn't have baharat but looked online for reasonable substitutes. Berbere spice sounded to be a reasonable one and based on the reviews from family, it worked great! There were already requests to make this again, so I'll be doing so soon!
January 7, 2023
easy to make
easy to make. tahini sauce quantity can recut in half. would go well with Persian style rice. my kids liked it.
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