Making Mubattan Kusha has created a couple of firsts for me: my first time trying Libyan food and my first time cooking with lamb. Chad and I both really enjoyed this dish. The lamb was expensive, but the flavor of it with the fried potatoes and spices definitely made it worth it. If you are unable to find lamb or it is just too expensive, good quality ground beef can be substituted. I love the use of cinnamon as a savory spice in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
Mubattan Kusha also has a fried counterpart called Mbatan Batata. I have not tried this version yet, but Global Table Adventures has a recipe available with step by step photos. It has similar ingredients, but the meat mixture is stuffed between a cut potato slice, coated in egg and breadcrumbs, then deep-fried.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound ground lamb or beef
1 cup hot water
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups finely chopped parsley
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
5-6 medium potatoes
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup breadcrumbs
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the meat, breaking it up into little pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been released and evaporates.
Stir in 1 cup hot water, half of the chopped onion, salt, red chili flakes, black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. Decrease heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add the remaining onion, parsley, and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. The meat should be slightly moist, not dry.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a little of the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Fry the potato slices in a single layer, a few at a time and not overcrowding them, until golden on both sides. Add a little more butter as needed.
Layer half of the fried potatoes in a large casserole dish.
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, flour, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper. Pour half of the eggs over the layer of potatoes. Cover with the meat mixture and press down firmly.
Layer with the rest of the potatoes, slightly overlapping the slices. Cover with the rest of the beaten eggs.
Sprinkle the top evenly with the bread crumbs and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until heated through.
Let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Adapted from Libyan Food
Notes
I used an 8 1/2"x 11" casserole dish
Ms. Amani Forjani says
21 November, 2016 at 4:33 pmHi Tara,
Greetings from Tripoli, Libya.
My Name is Amani and I was browsing through your lovely blog and learning more about different cuisines. I was really surprised to see this recipe which I make as I am Libyan/American.
I highly recommend that you try the Mbatan Batata which is more than delicious, If the potato slices are too thick and you decide to finish cooking them in the oven you can substitute the tomato sauce with a slight drizzle of melted ghee and a light sprinkling of cinnamon. I am sure you’ll love it.
Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes with the rest of the world.
Tara says
28 November, 2016 at 2:52 pmHi Amani,
Thank you for the kind words! I will definitely need to try Mbatan Batata. Thanks for the recommendation!