I’m told this recipe is of Lebanese origin. The recipe itself intrigued me in that in Nuyorican cuisine, at least in our family,  we would bake ground meat with cheese on top and serve it with bread. Later on, when my palate expanded I discovered Shepheard’s Pie and other ground meat dishes. So I’m always on the lookout for other baked meat specialties. In this rendition, the ground beef is seasoned and formed into meatball shapes and topped with slice onion, potato and tomato.  Le me add. if you want to cut back on your beef intake, you can substitute ground turkey or chicken, and it’ll be just as tasty. This dish is a meal in itself and, with a good crusty loaf of bread, makes for a sumptuous lunch or dinner.

BAKED GROUND MEAT

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground meat
½ bunch chopped parsley, washed and finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to taste
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ pound potatoes, thinly sliced (do not peel)
½ pound tomatoes, sliced
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
  2. In a bowl, combine the ground meat with the chopped parsley and onion. Add salt, pepper and cinnamon. Divide the mixture into a dozen equal parts and roll into balls. Now, you can make the meatballs as large or small as you like.  It could be anywhere from 6 large balls or a dozen small balls. Your choice.
  3.  Gently flatten the balls and place in a greased baking pan or dish (we prefer cast iron). Over each patty, place a slice of onion, a slice of potato and a slice of tomato.  Pour the tomato sauce over the patties, place in oven and bake for about 1 hour or until the patties are well cooked.
    Yield: 4-6 servings