Ground Lamb and Potato Patties

While the first time I saw this photo I was convinced it was an English muffin, these little potato patties pack quite the punch. The lamb filling is DELICIOUS and it was hard not to keep snacking on it out of the skillet as I waited for it to cool…the vinegar tang with the bright crunch of the cilantro and the kick of the sambal.

Let’s get real though: russets are giant potatoes and will not be completely tender in 20-25 minutes…think more like 50. Do yourself a favor and spend the 3 minutes to peel them and cut into big chunks before boiling…it will save you a ton of time.

I served mine with the Cilantro Chutney from Meera Sodha’s “Made In India”, which really brought the flavors together. In fact, it’s a perfect pairing, since you can use the crunchy cilantro stems finely minced in the filling, and use the leaves for the chutney.

The leftovers were also delicious for breakfast the next morning topped with a fried egg, as per the author’s suggestion. This recipe will definitely be in play anytime I have leftover mashed potatoes. In fact, I can imagine making a Thanksgiving leftover version of these as well.

I cut the leftovers into squares and reheated them, uncovered, in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes. This helped dry it out more and it was quite good with more crusty bits.

This is definitely a comfort food recipe, with the warming spices, rich ground meat, soft potato and just crisped breadcrumb crust. I think it would also be a good prep ahead recipe, and extras could be easily frozen for future meals.

I served these with a green chutney (mint and cilantro, garlic and ginger) and sauteed crisp green beans. It was great to have a variety to the texture- the patties were very soft other than the crisped edges, and the herbal chutney helped to enhance/balance the flavor.

I think I will add more heat next time, perhaps I’ll actually make my own Sambal Oelek!

My family was unanimous in their vote, giving this recipe enthusiastic thumbs up all around. Although there are a considerable number of steps and dishes involved, the payoff here is well worth the effort.

I used ground lamb, and as stated by the author, the apple cider vinegar and sambal oelek do indeed give the meat a wonderful flavor boost. The crunchy exterior, creamy potatoes and spicy meat combine to make for a deliciously satisfying and very tasty dish.

If you are short on time, the “do ahead” advice allows you to make the meat and potatoes up to a day beforehand. Do be sure to break up your meat into very small pieces so that it is more easily surrounded by the mashed potatoes.

I found it difficult to make the patties as small as directed, but cannot see that it matters as long as you shape them into evenly flat discs in order to get even browning. 1 cup of breadcrumbs was more than enough for coating them generously.

In my cast-iron pan, I found it took a bit more oil and time to achieve a deep golden brown. Don’t rush them…and delicious golden brown crunchiness will be your reward. I ended up with 16 patties, for a total of 6 servings.

We enjoyed them with corn on the cob and a simple tomato salad. The sweetness of these vegetables paired nicely with the spicy patties. A big green salad would also have been a welcome side dish.

I never knew I needed a meat-filled mashed potato pancake in my life until I made this dish. Meat and potatoes is a fool-proof pairing, so marrying them together into one delightful mouthful is a no-brainer. Plus, I’ll always be won over by the under-utilized ground lamb.

The technique to build the patties was reminiscent of constructing classic dumplings, except a little more vulnerable to breakage because you’re constructing them out of mashed potatoes instead of proper dough.

It’ll take some time to form perfect discs and find the right balance of meat to avoid these bad boys exploding when they hit the hot pan. (Learn from my mistakes!) The process became pretty meditative the deeper I got into it, though. Maybe you’ll feel the same, too.

Honestly, how can you have anything bad to say about fluffy potatoes and flavorful lamb? The exterior also had a great crispness from the breadcrumb coating, so you get a nice sound bite when you dig into it.

The only adjustment I’d make is adding a tad bit more sambal oelek to the ground lamb mixture (from 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons) to bring a little more heat to the final product.

This recipe was a revelation. A perfect balance of hot, savory, mild and creamy. Using the sambal oelek to contrast the lamb flavor to me was a stroke of genius that brought that ‘wow’ factor to this dish. There was just enough to let you know it was there, not enough to overpower the lamb.

The headnote says you can use other ground meat but I found lamb to be the perfect complement. As I was cooking everything, I wanted to eat it right out of the pan and not wait to make the patties and then cook them too. It smelled so good in my house.

But I am glad I did wait – even though it seemed like forever. Wrapping that savory, spicy mix into a potato wrapper then cooking them to get a nice crispy crust took these lamb “chops” to a higher plane. Even though I wanted to eat the meat right out of the pan, all these components were 100 percent better when combined.

I wasn’t sure mashing potatoes with just salt would produce a smooth enough mashed potato but I was wrong. They came out fine, even with no butter!

As for the recipe, while it wasn’t exactly complicated, it was time consuming. For me it was a good two hours from start to finish. The note that you can make components ahead of time was a good one.

I’m not good at waiting for things to cool before moving to the next step but this recipe was structured in a way that made that easy (except for the potatoes but you have no choice since they come right out of a boiling pot).

One step I would add would be to drain or otherwise get the fat out of the pan before adding the sambal oelek. I had a good quarter cup and was glad I drained it. Already thinking about making them again – this time with homemade sambal oelek!

The timing on cooking the patties was about right. I got five servings. Served them with grilled broccoli and a pinot noir.

This recipe takes a bit of work but it is well worth it. The lamb is extremely flavorful and requires only a handful of ingredients. It paired well with the mashed potatoes as they both balance each other out.

Most importantly, all this is packaged in a satisfying crunch from the breadcrumbs. I recommend using the panko variety to maximize crunch.

It does take a bit of patience with the steps to cook the lamb and potatoes, form the patties, coat them in breadcrumbs, and finally shallow frying them. However, your efforts are greatly rewarded. These make great appetizers or as an entrée when paired with a salad.

I’ve had a jar of sambal oelek in my fridge for the past year, which I spotted again after a recent fridge clean out. I found the spice level in this recipe pretty nice, but I would have added another half tablespoon. On its own, the spiciness of the lamb was delicious, but once combined with the mashed potatoes, I wished it was spicier.

I used ground lamb and apple cider vinegar, although I would like to try coconut vinegar next time. I used two potatoes that each weighed a pound.

I made everything on the same day. I made the patties a bit larger than the recipe asked, closer to 3 inches in diameter, so I only was able to make 10 patties. I think if I had made them the correct size, it would have made closer to 13 or 14.

I paired these lamb stuffed potato cakes with some sautéed spinach and a farro salad. As I made it, it served 5.

This ground lamb and potato patties recipe started as a huge success! I didn’t have sambal oelek but I did have limes and a selection of hot peppers from my garden. Once I had the sauce and my mise en place, the recipe just flowed and my kitchen filled with wonderful aromas.

I had planned these “chops” for lunch but due to unforeseen reasons, I couldn’t finish them until dinner. I was thankful that the recipe allowed for the initial meat and potato preparation to be refrigerated. As it was, post refrigeration, the potato rebelled and the patty assembly was tricky.

The “moral” of this “chop” was that deliciousness need not be cutesy. We shared the only successful looking “chop” as an appetizer, then served the disaster ones as a very very rustic Shepard’s pie with green salad and more of the really, really delicious sambal oelek!