Potato kibbeh with lamb and mozzarella
A baked, layered potato kibbeh is perfect as a filling iftar meal. Made with mashed potatoes, juicy, well-spiced lamb mince filling, and mild tasting, white mozzarella that melts to create a rich and gooey layer of cheese, it is rich, savoury, and full of creamy textures. You will often see it as fried, oblong balls, but our version is one, big, easy, layered potato kibbeh with meat that is perfect for serving for a large gathering.
To provide a bit of crunchy texture, it is topped with melted butter and breadcrumbs to ensure that the crust of the top layer of potato mash crisps up nicely in the oven. With its beautiful golden-brown surface and tasty, tender interior, this traditional dish is sure to entice and delight you.
Delicious layers of potato and lamb mince filling
Between the layers of rich and velvety baked potato mash is a layer of melted mozzarella and a filling made with minced lamb, onion, and pine nuts. This filling is juicy, savoury, and flavourful. The toasted pine nuts add a wonderful nutty flavour as well as a bit of crunch. The minced lamb itself has a slightly gamey taste with a lovely earthly quality. When spiced, this signature flavour is taken to new heights in the potato kibbeh.
Flavoured with traditional 7 spice
The succulent lamb filling for this potato kibbeh is flavoured with a so-called 7 spice mix. This spice blend, which is popular throughout the Middle East, is made with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cumin, and black pepper.
It makes the lamb mince filling for potato kibbeh perfectly spiced without making it spicy. Rather, it provides it with lemony, earthy, and sweet flavours as well as the warming quality that so many Middle Eastern dishes are known and loved for. The spice blend also gives the lamb mince filling plenty of depth.
Experiment with your layered potato kibbeh
In some cuisines, potato kibbeh is flavoured with lemon juice or citrussy spices like sumac. Both will add tartness and give it a lemony tang that brightens the dish. Since the colourful spice is also great for sprinkling on top of dishes, you can use it either in the lamb mince filling or on top of the baked potato kibbeh.
If you would like to complement the natural sweet properties of the 7 spice blend, you can add pomegranate molasses to the potato kibbeh filling. This traditional, Middle Eastern ingredient made from cooked-down pomegranate juice is perfect for savoury and sweet dishes alike since it gives them hints of an intense sweet-sour flavour that adds depth and complexity.
Garnish with mint leaves for a bit of colour and bright freshness or a tasty yoghurt dressing seasoned with lemon juice, crushed garlic, and mint.
Ideas for what to serve with potato kibbeh include Middle Eastern rocca salad with pomegranate, filling quinoa salad with feta, or even Italian eggplant rollatini with goat cheese.
