Baked Potato Patties

Inspired by the Indonesian perkedel daging (potato ground beef patties) and Puerto Rican pastelón, I created these baked potato patties with ground turkey, bell pepper, chili pepper, cilantro and onion. Ha! Yes, I got a little creative 🙂 The result? Savory little goodness that made a wonderful appetizer!

Hope you like it!

Fresh out of the oven

We need:

  • 3 Russet potatoes (peeled and diced)
  • 1/2 pound of ground turkey meat
  • 1 bell pepper (chopped)
  • 3-4 garlic
  • 3 hot finger peppers
  • 1/2 of sweet onion
  • 1/2 cup of cilantro (chopped). If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you could substitute with either parsley or green onions.
  • One tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • One egg
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  • In a medium pot, cover the potatoes with water, add a little salt, and boil until fork tender (for me it took about 30-40 minutes)
  • Mix and chop the bell pepper, garlic, hot fingers, and sweet onion in a food processor
  • Heat up a medium pan and add one tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • Cook the peppers-garlic-onion mixture for a little bit until the moisture evaporates
  • Add the ground turkey and cook until it is well done. Set aside.
  • After the potatoes are done cooking, remove from water, and mash them well
  • Add the egg into the mashed potatoes and mix them together
  • Mix the mashed potatoes with the meat, chopped cilantro, and using both hands create 15-18 patties
  • Spray a baking tray with either olive oil or vegetable oil
  • Place the patties on the tray, brush the top of the patties with a little bit of vegetable or olive oil, and bake for 15-20 minutes until they turn golden light brown in color

Baked Potato Patties Baked Potato Patties 2

Harini Riana2 Comments

Easy Pasta for Dinner: Mushroom Bourguignon

Feeling like pasta for dinner tonight? Something with mushroom and vegetables in red wine and tomato sauce?

Try this easy and delicious Mushroom Bourguignon recipe. Yes, I did put the word “easy” and “bourguignon” on the same sentence. This recipe offers a much shorter cook time than Ina Garten’s version I had tried a while back. I haven’t worked out the courage to attempt to do Julia Child’s. Maybe someday. But for now, I am happy to have found another good recipe suitable for everyday dinner. Hope you like it too!

Note: I did a couple of minor adjustments to the Mushroom Bourguignon’s recipe:

  • I used Shiitake mushroom instead of the Portobello or Cremini called by the recipe
  • I also added some meatballs to the pasta dish (optional)

Mushroom Bourguignon

Original recipe by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen

Harini Riana1 Comment

Going Puerto Rican with Pastelón: Plantain, Ground Turkey, and Cheese

Pastelón
Pastelón
Plantain topped with ground turkey and mozzarella
Plantain topped with ground turkey and mozzarella

One of the perks of having friends from different cultures is the exposure to many delicious dishes. Zulma, a dear friend of mine, has successfully introduced me to Puerto Rican’s mofongo, tostones, and pastelón. (Mofongo and tostones are my must-eat whenever I visit the island.) A few days ago, over the phone, Zulma told me that she was making pastelón for dinner. Feeling intrigued, I used her recipe as guidance in making one myself. Usually described as “plantain lasagna”, the dish offers a good combination of sweet and savory. The plantain gives out a sweet taste while the ground turkey, cooked with onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro, makes a fantastic meaty topping. And of course, the melted mozzarella sealed everything nicely. Buen Provecho!

Here’s my version, with a little twist 😉
We’ll need:

  • 4 ripe plantains (Per Zulma’s recommendation, I got the yellow ones with black patches all over the skin and with sweet aroma.)
  • ½ pound of ground turkey (Usually made with ground pork or beef)
  • ½ of sweet onions (chopped)
  • 3 garlic (chopped)
  • ½ cup of chopped cilantro (Zulma’s recipe calls for long coriander leaves but I couldn’t find them so I went with cilantro)
  • 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 3-4 hot finger peppers (chopped). This is totally optional. (I made mine spicy, of course :))
  • 1 or 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Pastelon

Steps:

  • Fill a medium pot with water and bring to boil
  • Cut the peeled plantains in the middle
  • Boil the plantains for 15-20 minutes
  • Once cooked, remove, and let them cool down before slicing them lengthwise
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  • Place the sliced plantains on a baking dish that has been sprayed with vegetable or olive oil
  • On the stove top, heat a medium pan with a tablespoon with vegetable oil. Cook the onion, garlic, and bell and hot peppers for two minutes. Add ground turkey, salt, and black pepper. Combine and cook well.
  • Cover the sliced plantain with the meat, top with shredded cheese, and place it in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted.
  • Remove from the oven and let it cool down for a bit before serving

My special thanks to Zulma

Harini Riana1 Comment