Instructions

To make the meat cups, add the ground beef, egg and spices to a mixing bowl. Gently remove the crusts from the stale bread and wet it, squeezing out the extra water. Add the moistened bread to the bowl.


Wearing rubber gloves, knead all the ingredients together well until it thickens and stiffens, similar to dough. If you have time, cover the top with plastic wrap and let it rest about 15 minutes.


To make a meat cup, tear off a ball of the meat mixture the size of a golf ball. Make a hole in the center with your finger, then as if you were shaping pottery by hand, use your fingers to lengthen the sides upward and enlarge the hole. Your meat cup should be able to stand up on its own when you place it in the baking pan.

Set your meat cup in a round or rectangular baking tray. Repeat these steps with rest of the meat mixture until you have filled your baking tray.

To make the mashed potatoes, peel your potatoes and boil them until very soft. Drain the excess water and mash them with a hand masher while they are still hot. Add the butter and spices and continue to mash.

Beat them with an electric mixer for several minutes to get rid of the lumps. Slowly add the milk while you continue to beat them until you have a still potato mixture that will hold peaks.

Using a dessert spoon, fill the centers of each meat cup with a generous portion of the mashed potato. You can also use a cake icing decorator. Make sure you pile the potato high to make peaks on top of each meat cup.

Sprinkle the top of each potato mound with grated cheese. Bake the ‘köfte’ in a 390 F/200 C oven until the meatballs are cooked and the tops of the potatoes are slightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Serve your ‘çanak köftesi’ hot along with Turkish rice pilaf with orzo and a salad like Turkish shepherd’s salad.