Easy Baked Beef Kofta With Potatoes and Creamy Lemon Tahini Sauce!
Beef kofta, potatoes, and tomatoes can share one baking dish, but they need different amounts of time in the oven. Give the potatoes a head start, then add the seasoned beef and tomatoes. Pour the lemon tahini sauce over the dish near the end, after the beef has cooked through. That sequence lets the potatoes soften without leaving the kofta dry or baking the sauce into a thick paste.
This Palestinian-inspired dinner is meant to go straight from the oven to the table. The kofta is shaped into small patties, the potatoes sit underneath, and the tomatoes release their juices around both. Warm pita and a simple salad are plenty alongside it.
Ingredients
Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: About 25 minutes
Cook time: About 45 to 55 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
For the kofta and vegetables
- 1½ pounds (680 g) ground beef, preferably about 85% lean
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- ½ cup (about 15 g) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds (680 g) Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
- ½ cup (120 ml) water or unsalted broth
For the lemon tahini sauce
- ½ cup (120 g) well-stirred tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ to ¾ cup (120 to 180 ml) cool water, as needed
For serving, have warm pita or flatbread ready. Extra parsley is optional.
Prepare the potatoes and kofta
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish.
Cut the potatoes into rounds about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. A consistent thickness helps them finish at the same time. Toss them with the olive oil and ½ teaspoon of the salt, then spread them across the baking dish. A little overlap is fine, but avoid piling them into a deep layer.
Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes. They should be starting to soften and showing a little color at the edges. They do not need to be fully cooked yet.
While they bake, put the grated onion in a fine-mesh strainer or a clean towel and press out excess liquid. Combine the onion with the ground beef, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, allspice, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Mix with your hands just until the seasoning is distributed. Working the meat for too long can make the cooked kofta dense.
Divide the mixture into about 12 portions and shape each into a small, flat oval, roughly ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Flat patties fit easily among the potatoes and cook more evenly than thick logs. If the mixture feels sticky, dampen your hands with water before shaping.
Bake with the tomatoes
Remove the baking dish from the oven. Turn the potatoes gently, then arrange the kofta patties over and between them. Tuck the tomato slices into the spaces around the meat. Pour the ½ cup water or broth around the edges of the dish, keeping most of the liquid off the tops of the patties.
Return the dish to the oven and bake for 18 to 25 minutes. The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork, and the thickest kofta patty should reach 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Ground beef can brown before it is fully cooked, so color alone is not a reliable check.
The tomatoes will soften and release juice into the dish. If the potatoes need a few more minutes after the beef reaches temperature, remove the patties to a plate, cover them loosely, and finish baking the potatoes. Return the kofta to the dish before adding the sauce.
Make the lemon tahini sauce
Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a bowl. The mixture will likely seize and become stiff at first. Add cool water a few tablespoons at a time, whisking until it loosens into a smooth, pourable sauce. Depending on the tahini, this may take anywhere from ½ to ¾ cup of water. Taste and adjust the salt or lemon juice.
The sauce should flow from a spoon in a steady ribbon. If it sits in a mound, add more water. It will thicken as it stands, so check it again just before serving.
Spoon some sauce over the hot kofta and potatoes, or pour it around the dish so the browned tops remain visible. Serve the rest at the table. Keeping the tahini out of the oven gives you more control over its texture and lets each person add as much as they like.
Why the timing works
Raw potato slices take longer to cook than small beef patties. If both go into the oven together, the meat may be done while the potatoes are still firm. The 20-minute head start solves that problem without requiring a separate pan or a pot of boiling water.
The tomatoes go in with the beef because they need less time. Their juices, along with the small amount of added water or broth, keep the bottom of the dish moist as the potatoes finish cooking. The liquid is not meant to cover the kofta. Leaving the tops exposed allows them to brown.
Ground beef with some fat also helps. An 85% lean blend is a practical choice here; very lean beef is less forgiving in a hot oven. Grated onion adds moisture, but squeezing out the excess prevents the mixture from becoming too loose to shape. Handle the meat lightly and use the thermometer to stop cooking once it reaches a safe temperature.
Tahini needs its own bit of attention. Lemon juice often makes it look thicker before water smooths it out. Add the water gradually, but do not stop at the first sign of thickening. A sauce that seems thin enough in the mixing bowl may tighten up by the time dinner is served.
Substitutions and serving
Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape well, but other waxy potatoes work. Russets can be used if that is what you have; slice them evenly and turn them gently, since they may break apart more easily. If your potato rounds are thicker than ¼ inch, expect the first baking stage to take longer.
Ground lamb can replace some or all of the beef. Its flavor is stronger, and the amount of fat varies by package, so check the patties for doneness rather than relying on the recipe’s timing alone. For a milder spice mixture, reduce the allspice; for a little heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper. Fresh parsley gives the kofta its familiar herbal note, though a smaller amount of cilantro can stand in if needed.
Serve the baking dish with pita to catch the tomato juices and tahini sauce. A cucumber and tomato salad, sliced radishes, or pickled vegetables add something crisp beside the warm potatoes. Rice is welcome if you need to stretch the meal, but the kofta and potatoes already make a substantial dinner.
Make-ahead and refrigerator storage
You can mix and shape the kofta up to one day ahead. Cover it and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to bake. The tahini sauce can also be made a day ahead in a covered container; whisk in a little water before serving if it has thickened.
For the best potato texture, slice the potatoes shortly before cooking. If you need to prepare them earlier in the day, keep the slices submerged in cold water in the refrigerator, then drain and dry them thoroughly before tossing with oil. Wet potatoes will steam more than brown. Tomatoes are best sliced just before they go into the dish.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in covered containers and use them within 3 to 4 days. Store extra tahini sauce separately so the potatoes do not sit under it and soften further. Reheat the kofta and potatoes in a covered baking dish at 350°F (175°C) until hot throughout, or use the microwave. Add the cold or room-temperature tahini sauce after reheating, thinning it with water if necessary.
The finished dish should have tender potatoes, juicy cooked-through kofta, and enough tomato juices to spoon over each serving. Keep the sauce pourable and add it at the table, and this oven-baked dinner needs little else.
