Mbatten — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Thin potato slices sandwiching a spiced lamb filling, dipped in egg batter, and fried until crispy golden. These Libyan potato cakes are irresistible crunchy snacks.

Ingredients

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 5mm thick
300g ground lamb
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Flour for dusting

Instructions

1 Boil potato slices in salted water for 5 minutes until just tender but still firm. Drain and pat dry.
2 Cook ground lamb with onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, parsley, salt, and pepper until browned.
3 Place a spoonful of the lamb mixture between two potato slices, pressing together gently to form a sandwich.
4 Dust each potato sandwich lightly in flour, then dip into beaten egg, coating thoroughly.
5 Fry in hot oil at 175C for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.
6 Drain on paper towels and serve hot with lemon wedges and a side of harissa.

Did You Know?

Mbatten is the Libyan answer to the question: what if potatoes and kafta had a delicious, crispy baby?