Caroline's Cooking

  • Recipe Index
  • By country or region
  • By season or holiday
  • Subscribe
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • By country or region
  • By season or holiday
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • By country or region
    • By season or holiday
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Appetizer/Starter

    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    January 29, 2017 by Caroline's Cooking

    • Share
    • Reddit
    • Flipboard
    • Threads

    These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes are a delicious combination of soft mashed potato around a spiced lamb filling. A great snack or part of a meze plate. 

    Jump to Recipe
    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

    I've admitted before that we are not exactly big football watchers in our house, but I can appreciate game day snacks. These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes may be far from traditional football fare, but they have all the right qualities.

    For a start, you eat them with your fingers and they're dipable. Delicious mashed Idaho® potatoes wrapped around spiced lamb, fried to give them a little crunchy crust. You really should give them a try, whether you're a football fan or not.

    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    Our lack of football frenzy

    For me, it's mainly that I wasn't brought up with football, or American football as it is to me. And to be honest, I find it all takes way too long. (I know, me coming from the country that gave us cricket but I'm not a fan of that either.)

    While my husband does support his local team, they are not on TV that much here. We do have the photos of my eldest watching a game when he was only a few months old, complete with my husband's team-colored onesie (his side of the family made sure we had them!). But it's not a regular occurrence - hockey is the sport of choice in our house.

    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes - These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes are a delicious combination of soft mashed potato around a spiced lamb filling. A great snack or part of mezze plate

    Potato-ful party snacks

    As I say, though, I can appreciate game day snacks and Idaho® potatoes can make a great part of whatever you might put together. Potatoes can get a bad reputation health-wise, but did you know they're a great source of potassium, vitamin B6 as well as being fat-free and gluten-free?

    Idaho® potatoes are known for their consistency of flavor and they're available year round. Due to the climate they are grown in, there are consistently high solids in the russets, for example, which means fluffier baked potatoes and mash that you can't mess up.

    If you're looking for game day ideas, not only are there these lamb stuffed potato cakes, but why not go Spanish with some tasty patatas bravas or Spanish tortilla. You could also make a potato bar, whether that's a mashed potato or baked potato bar, with various self-serve toppings, or what about hash browns or German potato pancakes to dip or load up. Plus, see all the other ideas below for more inspiration.

    stages to make persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    Making and serving Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes are based on a recipe from the Moro cookbook but I've seen other versions as well. I first made the original version years ago and instantly loved them. They're easy to make as all you do is cook some potatoes and mash them, adding a little flour. Meanwhile, cook the onion and lamb with the spices and add the pine nuts. Take small amounts of the potato and flatten it, add some filling and wrap the potato around it. Fry to brown and crisp up the outside then serve.

    These stuffed potato cakes make a great snack, particularly dipped in the yogurt sauce I've suggested. Although you can try them with whatever dip you fancy. Or just eat them as they are, of course. I've made them a little smaller so they're a perfect hand-help snack that's great for serving a crowd. Comforting flavors and perfect finger food. What more could you need as part of your game day menu (or just because).

    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    Try these other Persian recipes:

    • Dolmeh barge mo (stuffed grape/vine leaves)
    • Kuku sabzi (herb frittata)
    • Persian herb rice with fish 
    • Plus get more Persian recipes in the archives.
    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes
    Print Recipe
    5 from 4 votes

    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes

    A comforting combination of warmly spiced meat filling and creamy potatoes.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer/Starter
    Cuisine: Persian
    Servings: 4 approx - makes 12
    Calories: 460kcal
    Author: Caroline's Cooking
    SaveSaved!

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb yellow potatoes 900g
    • 1 ½ oz pine nuts 42g
    • 1 ½ tablespoon flour
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil divided, or more as needed
    • 1 red onion small, finely diced
    • ½ lb ground lamb 225g lamb mince
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamon
    • 3 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste tomato puree

    Seasoned yogurt for dipping (optional)

    • ¼ cup Greek yogurt 4tbsp
    • ⅛ teaspoon garlic pepper or half each pepper and dried garlic
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin

    Instructions

    • Pick out potatoes that are roughly the same size, as far as possible, and boil with the skins on until tender when tested with a knife. If they start splitting, they are done.
    • While they are cooking, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until lightly browned.
    • Drain the potatoes and allow to cool enough so you can handle them. Mash, add the flour and a pinch of salt and mix well.
    • Warm 1tbsp of the oil in a small skillet/frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it has softened, around 5min.
    • Add the lamb and break up the meat with your wooden spoon, increasing the temperature a little if needed, so that you brown the meat thoroughly. Add the cinnamon, allspice, cardamon, parsley and tomato paste as well as the toasted pine nuts. Mix well so everything is combined and set aside.
    • Take heaped spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes and flatten them out into flat patties. You should get around 12 patties/rounds from the potatoes.
    • Take each round of potato and flatten the middle a little in your hand. Put a spoonful of the lamb mixture in the middle and carefully fold the potato over it. You may need to smooth it round a little to join up. Flatten and repeat with the rest of the potato rounds and lamb.
    • warm the rest of the oil in a medium-large skillet and fry the potato cakes a few minutes on each side until gently browned, in batches. Take care to turn them carefully and add a little more oil if necessary. Repeat with the rest of the potato cakes.
    • Mix together the yogurt, garlic pepper and cumin and use as a dipping sauce, if desired.

    Video

    Notes

    (see video above)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 1240mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 32.6mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 9.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

    See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

    This post is sponsored by the Idaho® Potato Commission in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

    See lots of other great potato-inspired recipes perfect for game day:

    Fingerling Potatoes

    • Cajun Taters & Sausage by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
    • Cheesy Bacon Potato Bite-Sized Snacks by Life Tastes Good
    • Potato Football Candy by Shockingly Delicious

    Golden Potatoes

    • Healthier Mashed Potato Bowls by Cooking Chat
    • Potato Salad Tortilla Bowls by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
    • Pulled Pork Potato Skins by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
    • Steak and Potato Pizza by Grumpy’s Honeybunch

    Red Potatoes

    • Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Red Potatoes by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
    • Cuban Garlic Mojo Potato Salad by Go Epicurista

    Russet Potatoes

    • Best Potato Wedges by Moore or Less Cooking
    • Buffalo Blue Cheese Potato Bites by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
    • Potato and Chive Mini Waffles by My Life Cookbook
    • Potato Blue Cheese Tartlets by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
    • Potato Nacho Stacks by The Wimpy Vegetarian

    Remember to pin for later!

    Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes - These Persian lamb stuffed potato cakes are a delicious combination of soft mashed potato around a spiced lamb filling. A great snack or part of mezze plate

    « Pineapple chow (Trinidadian spiced fruit)
    Crisped pork belly with whisky-soy sauce »
    • Share
    • Reddit
    • Flipboard
    • Threads

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Beth Neels says

      December 29, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      These sound amazingly delicious! I love the idea of the Persian spices with the lamb! And wrapping everything in a soft yet crispy potato cake is simply genius! Can't wait to try these~

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        December 29, 2018 at 11:08 pm

        The spices add such a great warmth and tastiness. Goes perfectly with the soft potato too.

        Reply
    2. ramona says

      December 27, 2018 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      The best combination in the world if you ask me - potato and lamb, wowww, delicious! Great recipe, thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        December 29, 2018 at 10:55 pm

        They do go so well together, for sure! Thanks

        Reply
    3. Geetha Priyanka says

      December 23, 2018 at 4:01 am

      5 stars
      This sounds like a perfect dish to make on holidays. Loved watching your video tutorial.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        December 23, 2018 at 1:14 pm

        Thank you! Agree they're good for sharing.

        Reply
    4. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

      September 24, 2018 at 8:24 am

      5 stars
      I love the idea of this looking like a potato cake and then discovering the yummy filling!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        September 29, 2018 at 10:55 pm

        Thanks, the filling is a delicious surprise 🙂

        Reply
    5. Serena says

      January 31, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      I can't wait to try these! YUM!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        February 04, 2017 at 11:41 am

        Thanks Serena, hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    6. Denise Wright says

      January 29, 2017 at 8:11 am

      This looks like delicious comfort food for me. I love all the spices in the lamb (reminds me of my grandma's cooking) and anything with pine nuts is a winner! Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 30, 2017 at 9:44 pm

        Thanks Denise, I agree pine nuts are always good, and the spices add a lovely flavor.

        Reply
    Caroline's Cooking

    Welcome! I'm Caroline and this is where I share recipes inspired by travels, places I want to go, or just ideas from feeding the family. Most recipes are easy to make and healthier, but there are treats too!

    Read more →

    Try these popular recipes

    • baked portobello mushrooms on plate
      Baked portobello mushrooms

    • side view of torn loaf of Japanese milk bread
      Japanese milk bread

    • Tarta de Santiago from overhead
      Tarta de Santiago (Spanish almond cake)

    • Sautéed French green beans on plate
      Sautéed French green beans

    • stacked plates with English tea sandwiches close up
      Traditional English tea sandwiches

    • Swedish cardamon buns with one on plate in front
      Swedish cardamom buns

    Recent posts

    • bowl of elote style corn black bean salad with part view of cilantro and lime in front.
      Elote-style corn and black bean salad

    • bowl of mussels in cream from overhead.
      Mussels in cream (moules à la crème)

    • close view of bowl of rhubarb ice cream.
      Rhubarb ice cream

    • close overhead view of smoked salmon pizza.
      Smoked salmon pizza

    Footer

    • Privacy Policy
    • Language and measurements
    • About Caroline's Cooking
    • Web stories

    Caroline's Cooking is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    Copyright © Caroline's Cooking 2014 - 2025

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required