Kafta in a tray - kafta bel sanniyeh

This is yet another wonderful dish from the Lebanese cuisine. Weeks ago, I posted the kafta kebabs recipe, today I will introduce you kafta in a tray, known in Lebanon as 'kafta bel sanniyeh'. The dish consists of kafta patties with rounds of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes baked in a tomato sauce. Slices of green peppers are also an optional topping. In Lebanon, mom used to buy premixed kafta at her Lebanese butcher, and I have always loved this dish. Here, it's not easy to find a Lebanese butcher where you can buy your premixed kafta, this is why I learned how to do it now I can make my favorite dish, 'kafta bel sanniyeh'.

Ingredients (serves 4):
For the kafta patties:
1 lb (500g) lean minced beef
1 small onion, grated
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp allspice
salt

3 medium potatoes, cut into round slices
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into rings
1 medium onion, round sliced
2 medium tomatoes, round sliced
2 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt
¼ teaspoon white ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make the kafta patties by combining meat, chopped onion, black pepper, cinnamon powder, allspice and parsley in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and mix well. Refrigerate for about 30 mn. Divide the mixture into 12 meatballs. Flatten meatballs to form patties. Arrange in a greased baking dish.

Arrange potato slices on top of the meat patties then the onions, bell pepper rings and tomatoes slices.
In a large bowl, put water, tomato paste, white pepper, cinnamon powder and salt. Mix then pour sauce into the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake in a 200˚C oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Kafta au four

Ingrediénts (4 personnes):

Pour les kafta:
500 g de viande finement hachée
1 oignon, finement haché
¼ càc de poivre noir
¼ càc de cannelle
5 càs de persil haché
1/2 càc quatre-épices
sel

3 pommes de terre, coupées en rondelles
1 poivron vert, coupé en rondelles
1 oignon coupé en rondelles
2 tomates, coupées en rondelles
500 ml d'eau
2 càs de concentré de tomates
sel
¼ càc de poivre blanc
¼ càc de cannelle

Préparez le kafta en mélangeant la viande, l'oignon haché, le poivre noir, la cannelle, les quatre-epices et le persil. Malaxez bien. Assaisonnez de sel et bien mélangez. Placez au frigo environ 30 mn. Puis divisez en 12 boulettes. Façonnez des rondelles de kefta comme des hamburgers. Disposez-les dans un plat au four.

Disposez les rondelles de pomme de terre dessus, puis les rondelles d'oignons, les rondelles de poivron et de tomates.

Dans un grand bol, versez l'eau, le concentré de tomates, le poivre blanc, la cannelle et le sel. Mélangez et versez cette sauce dans le plat au four. Couvrez avec du papier aluminium. Enfournez à 200ºC pendant 1hr 30 mn ou jusqu'à ce que les pommes de terre soient tendres.