Potato Kubba

Ingredients & equipement

(For the Potato Shell)

*1/4 cup white rice, any type except converted or instant
*3 Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
*1 or 2 big slices of day-old bread
*salt
*black pepper

( For the Meat Filling )

* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 2 tbs olive oil
* 1/2 pound ground beef
* Salt
* Black Pepper
* equal pinches of cinnamon, cumin, and curry powder (I sometimes just use curry)
*1/4 cup minced parsely
*Oil for sautéing
*Optional- toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Boil the rice in 4 cups of water until tender. Drain and allow to cool down.

2. Steam or boil the potatoes in salted water until tender (roughly 15 minutes). Drain and use a potato masher or mixer to mash.

3. Tear the bread into pieces and whirl them in the food processor-- you should have about a cup of bread crumbs as a result.

4. Measure 1 cup cooked rice, and add to the food processor, processing again with the crumbs

5. Add th potatoes to the rice-bread combo and knead the mixture until a smooth dought is formed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. For the stuffing, gently sauté the onion until soft, add meat and spices, and fry for a while, making sure to break up the lumps of meat. when browned, drain any extra oil and stir in the minced parsely & optional toasted pine nuts.

7. To shape the potato cake, form a ball the size of a lime and insert your finger to hollow out the inside. Fill with about a tsp of the meat stuffing and close the potato mixture around the filling. Flatten slightly between yor palms. At this point I like to place the uncooked kubbe in the refigerator for an hour or so to firm it up. You can also freeze it as is to be thawed and fried later on.

8. Lightly sauté the kubbe in oil until pale golden brown and crisp. Serve hot or at room temp.