Lamb Kofta Hoagies with Orange Fennel Potato Rolls
These Lamb Kofta Hoagies feature juicy lamb kofta snuggled into golden potato rolls slathered with toum and mint sauce and topped with pickled red onions and watercress.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Kebab Skewers
Ingredients
Orange Fennel Potato Rolls**
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2½ tsp kosher salt divided
- ¾ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 navel orange zested, divided
- 1 cup warm water
- ½ cup mashed potato
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup salted butter softened, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg
Pickled Red Onions
- 1 red onion cut into wedges
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Toum
- 1 head garlic peeled
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice divided
- 1 cup neutral oil I used canola
Lamb Kofta
- 454g (1lb) ground lamb
- ½ red onion grated
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- fresh ground pepper
To Serve
- ½ cup mint sauce
- 2 cups watercress washed and dried
Instructions
For the Potato Rolls
- Pour the fennel seeds into a dry skillet and place them over medium heat. Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Shaking the pan frequently.1 tbsp fennel seeds
- In a large bowl whisk to combine half of the toasted fennel seeds, the flour, sugar, yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and half of the orange zest. Set the bowl aside.4 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2½ tsp kosher salt, ¾ tsp active dry yeast, 1 navel orange
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk to combine the potato, water, and honey. Place the hook attachment on the mixer and add half of the dry ingredients. Mix on medium-low until a loose dough forms. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low until thoroughly integrated.1 cup warm water, ½ cup mashed potato, 2 tbsp honey
- With the mixer running, start adding the butter a couple of cubes at a time. Wait until the butter is fully integrated before adding more.¼ cup salted butter
- Once all the butter is in, knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. This should take about 7 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl greased with neutral oil. Cover and let rise for an hour and a half or until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough into a rough rectangle. Take the end closest to you and roll it away from yourself as you would a burrito. Pinch to form a seal along the edges and refine the shape. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Transfer the formed rolls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. This is a good time to start preheating the oven to 350°F.
- Once the oven is up, beat the egg with one tablespoon of water. Brush the mixture over the buns. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the remaining salt, fennel seeds, and orange zest. Sprinkle the mixture over the buns and transfer them to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until golden. Let cool.1 large egg
For the Pickled Onions
- Whisk to combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Pour the mixture over the onions and cover. Let pickle at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.***1 red onion, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Toum
- Split each garlic clove in half and remove the germ. Place the garlic in a large food processor and add the salt and half of the lemon juice. Blitz until the mixture resembles mulch.1 head garlic, ¾ tsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Scrape down the sides of the food processor and turn it on low. Slowly stream in the oil and blitz until lightly and fluffy. Add the remaining lemon juice and blitz for 30 seconds more. Transfer the toum to a bowl, cover, and chill until ready to use.1 cup neutral oil
For the Kofta
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Using cleans hands, mix the ingredients together until a cohesive mixture is formed.454g (1lb) ground lamb, ½ red onion, ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs, ¼ cup fresh mint, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground coriander, fresh ground pepper
- Divide into 8 equal parts and form the koftas onto 8 metal kebab skewers. Using a cast iron griddle or grill, cook the koftas until lightly charred and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set them aside.
To Assemble
- Split a potato roll and slather with toum and mint sauce. Add a kofta and top with pickled onions and watercress. Serve immediately.½ cup mint sauce, 2 cups watercress
Notes
** This recipe is adapted from Food52's Best Potato Hot Dog Buns
*** If pickling the onions more than 12 hours in advance, transfer the onions to the fridge and leave them to pickle there.