Shared by Vered Guttman
Shared by Vered Guttman
Kubbeh Batata (Potato Kubbeh Filled with Meat)
Yield: 20 kubbehTime: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Kubbeh Batata (Potato Kubbeh Filled with Meat)
Yield: 20 kubbehTime: 1 hour and 45 minutesFamily Journey
BaghdadTel Aviv
Washington, D.C.
Food writer Vered Guttman’s grandmother would make these Iraqi beef filled potato dumplings every Hanukkah, when she hosted the whole family for a party. "Kubbeh batata is also popular among Iraqi Jews during Passover, since the shell does not include farina (a wheat product) like the more popular kubbeh,” she explains. These kubbeh are best served straight from the fryer.
Find more of Vered’s Hanukkah recipes like sambousak b’tawa and doughnuts with cherry jam, and read the rest of her story My Grandmother's Iraqi Hanukkah Party Inspired My Own an Ocean Away.
You can also find more of our favorite Hanukkah recipes in this collection.
Ingredients
- 5 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 ½ lb.)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup matzo meal
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lb. ground beef
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Neutral or light olive oil, for frying
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash the potatoes and arrange them on a heavy baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and seal well. Bake the covered potatoes for 30 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven, turn the potatoes over and bake for another 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
Step 2
Let the potatoes cool until easy to handle. Remove the potato skins and mash with a potato masher. Add one of the eggs, the matzo meal, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the mashed potatoes. Use your hands to knead the potato mixture, forming a dough.
Step 3
In a large, heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat, heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the beef to the frying pan and stir, cooking until it begins to brown, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix to combine and remove from the heat. Once cool, rinse and dry the frying pan; set aside to fry with.
Step 4
Using your hands, form a 1¾” ball from the potato dough. Use your finger to poke a hole in the potato ball and stuff it with a tablespoon’s worth of the beef mixture. Seal the hole and press the ball of dough gently to form a flat, round patty. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
Step 5
Mix the second egg and brush the kubbeh with it. Heat ⅛” of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and fry the kubbeh in two batches on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
