A Comforting Classic: Turkish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes

This Turkish home-style recipe brings together bite-sized meatballs, smooth buttery mashed potatoes and a tomato sauce. It offers a hearty option for an evening meal, with the meatballs cooked until they absorb the sauce’s flavor.

For the meatballs, combine 300 grams of ground beef with a grated onion, two crushed garlic cloves, three tablespoons of breadcrumbs, one egg, red pepper, cumin, chili flakes, black pepper, salt and finely chopped parsley. Knead the mixture, shape it into small balls and chill them for about 30 minutes.

Brown the meatballs in hot oil, then remove them from the pan. Add butter and tomato paste, cook briefly, and pour in water with salt and black pepper. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil 650 grams of peeled potatoes in salted water until soft. Mash them while hot with butter. Stir in hot milk, salt, black pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg until the texture becomes smooth and soft. Spread the mash on a serving plate, top it with the meatballs and tomato sauce, and serve hot.