Iftar is not only the time to break your fast, it’s a chance for family and friends to gather and assess your cooking skills! Whether you are getting a cook to do the work or offering up your tried and true dishes, everyone will be waiting for the food offering of the evening. We’ve always got recipes lined up for Ramadan and this year, we’re trying something new — twists on some of the favorites, with stuffed potatoes, vermicelli and basbousa, all dressed up in new flavors.
Mebbatana, or stuffed potatoes, is an easy Libyan side dish. The preparation time is around 30 minutes.
Ingredients
1 1/2 kilogram potatoes
1/2 kilogram minced meat
Parsley
1/4 onions
10 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
3 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
Preparation
1. Mince the onions, parsley and garlic well, and then add the mix to the ground meat. Season the mix with salt, cumin and pepper, then add the three eggs and the flour and blend the mixture well.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them in halves or thirds, depending on the size. Cut holes in each part and stuff the potatoes with the mixture prepared above.
3. Dip the stuffed potatoes in the egg and bread crumbs, then fry them in hot oil. This dish is served hot.
This piece was originally published in Egypt Independent’s weekly print edition.
