Baked Kafta with Tahini Sauce

Adapted from Milk Street

{Untested Recipe}

• 1 pound medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, ½ thinly sliced, ½ roughly chopped, reserved separately
• 2 medium garlic cloves, smashed
• ½ cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley
• 1 jalapeño, seeded
• 1 tablespoon ghee or butter, room temperature
• 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons baharat (or sub with 1.5 teaspoons coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon paprika)
• Tahini Sauce
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup boiling water
  • ¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

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1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 450°F.
2. Place tahini in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the boiling water. Add yogurt, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Measure 2 tablespoons of the tahini sauce into another small bowl to use for brushing; reserve the remainder for serving.
3. In a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, toss the potatoes with the oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Shingle the slices in the pie plate in concentric circles. Scatter on the sliced onion and pour in ¼ cup water. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the foil and bake until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance, about another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; leave the oven on.
5. In a food processor, combine the chopped onion, garlic, parsley and jalapeño. Process until finely chopped, scraping the bowl once or twice, about 1 minute. Add the ghee and pulse until combined, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the beef, baharat, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Lightly moisten your hands to prevent sticking, then shape the mixture into nine 3-inch cigars (about ¼ cup each) and place them, evenly spaced, on top of the potato-onion mixture.
6. Bake until the kefta begin to brown and release some juices, 10-12 minutes. Remove the pie plate from the oven and brush the kefta with the 2 tablespoons reserved tahini sauce. Return to the oven and bake until the kefta are nicely browned and the centers reach 160°F, another 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with the tahini sauce and pita.