Look at what has come out of the closet! The waffle iron! This is our Villaware standard waffle maker. Its gorgeous and probably not unlike many of your waffle irons, it would be sitting unused had it not been for the recent discovery of a certain blog: Waffleizer.
Kotlet Meat Patties
I have always enjoyed blogs where the focus is so very well defined. Perhaps its jealousy since I never know what my ‘blog voice’ should be. Waffleizer is just such a focused blog. Perhaps if I had known I’d be spending so much time scouring the blogosphere for cooking inspiration I would have focused this blog entirely on other people’s recipes. Dan’s blog is a natural for me to stalk. He’s waffled everything from chocolate chip cookies to cheeseburgers. He quite correctly realized that the waffle imprint itself is trans-formative, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Did you see his waffled chocolate chip cookies? Wow. I’ll be making these! The standard breakfast waffle hasn’t been a staple in our carb avoiding household. It is a throwback, however, to my childhood where my father would be in charge of breakfast on the weekends. Dan has definitely got me thinking about all the possibilities of waffling where the unique score of the iron plates changes how we perceive the dish itself. Here is my first contribution to the genre: “Kotlet”.Kotlet is a Persian delicacy made up of any kind of meat mixed with potato and pan fried. Its usually served with a red sauce or just eaten plain. Persian delis will usually always offer a kotlet sandwich stacked with lots of pickles and a yogurt sauce which is quite yummy. The recipe comes from my husband who didn’t quite understand my need for the recipe but contributed it nonetheless. The patty is dredged in bread crumbs and then fried in oil giving it a little crust. The waffle version doesn’t quite get as dark or crusty but the pattern would certainly contribute to the experience of those who prefer their kotlet with a sauce. They came out of the iron fairly easily except for the last batch which stuck because I got too cocky and forgot to reoil the iron.
This is what you will need:
- 1 large potatoe, cooked, peeled and riced or grated
- 1 pound ground lamb, veal, or beef
- 1 medium onion, peeled and grated
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1 T hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
- 3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for the waffle iron
- parsley or herbs for garnish
This is how you make it:
- In a bowl, combine meat, onion, eggs, potatoe, salt, pepper, saffron water, and tumeric. Knead for 10 minutes to form a smooth paste.
- Using damp hands, shape the meat misture into lumps the size of egggs. Flatten them into oval patties and roll them into the bread crumbs. Oil the waffle iron and place a patty into each square and close for 5 minutes or until patty is browned.
- Remove patties from iron and repeat. Place patties on platter and garnish with fresh herbs and parsley.
- Serve with a tomato sauce or cucumber yogurt dip.
Wow! What a great find – my waffle iron is definitely collecting dust. Funny how it never dawns on us to use things for anything other than their predefined purpose. Waffleizer has some amazing ideas – thanks for sparking a new twist on an old appliance!
I’m so excited to see all the amazing things you “waffleize”
Interesting. I may have to try this myself before it’s all said and done. Thanks for the kind words, too. I think it’s interesting what you said about focus, since some of the best advice about blogging I’ve ever seen came in this post:
http://daringfireball.net/2009/03/obsession_times_voice
Brilliant. I made his chocolate chip cookies in the waffle iron. They rock. Your waffle iron is sexy. Mine was $10 at Target and only has space for 2 small waffles…but good enough for the cookies! – mary the food librarian