Kalleh Gonjeshki (Meatballs and Potatoes)
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pound ground beef or lamb, or combination
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 1teaspoon dried mint, crushed between your fingers (optional)
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
- ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1small yellow onion, grated on the largest hole of a box grater
- 1large garlic clove, finely grated
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1large yellow onion, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2garlic cloves, finely grated
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1large Yukon Gold potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
- 3tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Meatballs
For the Sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
541 calories; 43 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 610 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Step 2
Place the meat in a large bowl and spread it out, creating a flat surface, to ensure the spices are evenly distributed. Sprinkle the salt, dried mint (if using), pepper and turmeric evenly over the meat. Add the grated onion and garlic, and mix everything well with your clean hands. Set a small bowl of warm water next to you, and wet your palms a little so the meat doesn’t stick to your hands. Roll the meat mixture into 1½-inch balls (the size of a sparrow’s head), about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture per meatball. (You should have around 25 to 30 meatballs.) Place the meatballs on the prepared sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil and bake until cooked through and slightly browned on top, about 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium sauté pan or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the onion with a little salt, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and turmeric. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the garlic and turmeric are fragrant.
- Step 4
Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for 2 minutes just to take the raw edge off. Push the potatoes to the sides and make a little space in the middle of the pot. Add the tomato paste to the oil in the center, stirring to cook off its raw taste and deepen the color, and taking care not to burn it, about 1 minute. Mix the tomato paste with the potatoes, add 1½ cups of water, stir and bring to a gentle boil. Add the meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Taste the sauce and a potato, and adjust seasonings to your liking. Add the cinnamon, gently stir, cover and cook for another 5 minutes, until all the flavors have melded. You can add more water if you’d like a slightly thinner sauce.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Steve A
This dish was fabulous! The only thing I’d suggest as a modification is to cook the potatoes longer before adding the meatballs, in order to let them get soft. I added another 10 minutes or so of simmering on their own, and even with that kept it going with thee meatballs for quite a while to get the potatoes as soft as I wanted them. Plan on at least an extra 20 minutes of simmering.
Mary Beth
The size of a sparrow’s head! If you don’t have any sparrows handy, you could use a melon baller…
Hildari
There's no need for the extra step of spreading out the meat. Just add salt, dried mint, pepper, turmeric, grated onion, and garlic and mix well.
joshinminn
Sauce and potatoes very tasty, but could use a kick. Might add crushed red pepper next time. The mint in the meatballs was not good and distracted. I would omit that entirely next time.
Apartment Cook
Cooked as directed the first time, second time made some adjustments that I think help the dish. 1 - a 50/50 lamb to beef mix was better than beef alone. 2 - added a 1/2 TSP of crushed Calabrian chili pepper, which added a little heat and smoke that I think the dish needs. 3 - replaced water with light chicken stock 4 - as other have mentioned, cooked the potatoes about 15 min longer than directed before adding the meatballs back in. Excellent overall and can be adapted in a lot of ways.
Just 8
As an Iranian, I'd say this was very good; however, if you want to make it authentically Persian add about a 1/4 teaspoon of saffron mixed with 2 tablespoons of hot water before the 15 minute simmer. It'll bump the flavor up a notch.
Michael Edwards
For reference should I use an old world sparrow, or a new world sparrow?
M. Walt Hunter
My first NYT cooking comment! This recipe was absolutely delicious. I simmered maybe 5 minutes longer than instructed. I can’t wait to make it again.
Sam
Extremely delicious. I added some frozen peas for color and another flavor. Definitely will make again.
Cyrus
This recipe brought back fond memories from my childhood in my mom's kitchen growing up in Tehran. My American partner made this with ground turkey and it came out amazing! She added mushrooms to the sauce which enriched it even more. We had it with a side of plain pasta and lavash bread. It's easy enough for a weekday meal, or make ahead. As written, the recipe is perfect and there isn't a whole lot that one should change. I would make the meatballs closer to 1 inch than 1½ however.
Served with…
I felt this was best served with saffron basmati, a simple dressed lemon/olive oil cress salad, thinly sliced red onion, and pepperoncinis. The acidly, peppery, pungent flavors paired well with the meatballs and potatoes.
anna
425 for 20 minutes was way too long for my convection oven…next time I will do 10 mins so meatballs aren’t too dry.
Tracy
Delicious as written! I used 50/50 beef and lamb but think next time I’d do 100% lamb. served with garlic naan on the side
Steve B
This was really good. I think I'll explore more Persian recipes! I found the dried mint was a good addition. I thought it could use a little lift in acidity when I tasted it at the end, so I added a dash of tamarind concentrate.
Chester From Chalifornia
Very tasty! I made a few modifications that I think improved it. First, I poured the fat from the meatballs into the broth which added some richness. I also added some heat with some Calabrian chilis (from TJs) and also one chicken bouillon cube instead of excessive salting. I think the best improvement though was serving with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt which cooled the heat and added a nice tang. Will definitely make again!
P.A.
Just do it; it's so delicious. I just mixed the seasonings and onion all at one time into the meat, no need for spreading the meat. I also added the mint as stated and really enjoyed it in the meatballs, but of course, if it's really old/poor quality mint I wouldn't bother as you won't taste anything. I added a little bit of spanish paprika and a little cayenne to kick it up and really like it in there.
Erica
I added way more potatoes. As such it needed more liquid so then I added crushed tomatoes in addition to more water. I really liked it! Made with turkey instead of beef. Delicious !
Saffron
I did 2# lamb, 1# lean beef, fresh mint- did meatballs night before. Notes so added a bag fresh peas, 4 carrots, 8 celery, 2 vs 3 onions for sauce. 6 garlic cloves. Saffron and Spanish pimento to elevate heat. A few splashes of smoked olive oil to regular for sauté. Heeding advice to cook potatoes longer before adding meatballs. I let all slow cook after flavors married. Big hit. Served yoghurt with fresh chopped mint on the side. Guests brought just prepared Naan, and brown rice pilaf. Keeper!
Ella
This has to be one of my all time favorites so far from NYT Cooking. I added a little more for all the spices and garlic. I would suggest prepping all ingredients beforehand, including mixing the spices. I ended up adding a little more oil as well. It brings back memories and is a dish I will continue to repeat.
Charley
Tasty dish. Made as written. Don’t be afraid to go hard on the spices, it can take it. I never dry my meatballs out in the oven. Simply browned in some olive oil. Removed and made the sauce then cooked 20 minutes in the sauce as indicated.
Sheila
Fast comfort food. I made this with half the meat and all the sauce. In lieu of tomato paste I used about 3/4 c of cooked-down fresh tomatoes. Next time I will use lamb and add some saffron. Served with yogurt with cucumbers and fresh dill.
K Johnson
Absolutely delicious with Beyond meat. Only had fresh mint but I was amazed how much flavor came from so few ingredients. Will be making again.
wendy
I’ve made this several times with impossible burger instead of meat. Worked well! So delish!
Brad
I used 80/20 beef for the meatballs, and definitely understand the addition of lamb (they ended up pretty dry). Used fresh mint because...because, and it worked out great, if you're into that flavor profile. I also used baby gold potatoes and found that they were perfect using the timing written. All in all a great dish, and it got better the more we ate!
Me
This was delicious and easy with only slight changes. Made ahead per suggestions it was better the next day; ate on a busy night where we could start the rice cooker in the morning and just reheat the stew. Added a turnip and parsnip from our CSA, and used garam masala instead of cinnamon because I don’t like cinnamon and wanted other spices to temper it without changing it completely.
Gilj
Excellent and easy to make. Used ground bison (90/10) but otherwise followed the recipe. Used chicken broth instead of water which deepened the flavor. The stew was even better the next day, and the garlic much more evident too. Next time I might add a carrot, a few mushrooms as recommended, and maybe one more clove of garlic. Real comfort food.
Name Beth Bochnak
Only had an idaho and that was a mistake! Added a little steen’s cane vinegar for brightness as I had no lemon. I agree that 10 minutes is enough to get the meatballs ready to go in the sauce. My husband absolutely loved. I didn’t like the consistency because of the potato mistake. I will try again with a Yukon gold.
Myrna
This was a huge hit with my family! Paired it with garlic naan and roasted cauliflower. I did follow my fellow commentators’ advice and simmered a bit longer than directed.
Olivia
This recipe was incredibly bland. I don’t recommend it.
Eric W
Echo many of the comments so far. The potatoes needed about 7 min more. Spicing is subtle and central, so good quality, fresh spices are pretty key. I would need to cook it another 3-4 times to dial it in with my spice set. First time out the dried spearmint was a bit lost. While my tendency would be to add some pepper flakes, I resisted and enjoyed a dish that warm but not hot (spice-wise).
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