Relive the Magic of Our Lamb Kofta

We’re not about gatekeeping—so, for the first time ever, we’re sharing some of the love and the recipes straight from the Dinner Party kitchen. If you missed our last menu or just want to revisit the magic, here’s your chance to recreate our lamb kofta at home.

Whether you’re pretending to be the chef or just looking to flex your culinary muscles, this is your moment to bring a bit of Dinner Party’s flavor into your kitchen.

This one was for Jasmine and Bryce birthdays <3 cause Iranian inspired lamb simply felt fitting! These fragrant kofta pair perfectly with a garlicky labne, a bright cucumber salad, and of course, some pita — preferably homemade. And they come together so quickly!

1.) First, mise all your ingredients. Set aside 500g ground lamb (available at most butcher shops), then…

2.) Peel and grate (like cheese, on the grater side of your cheese grater) one large yellow or white onion. Using the zesting side or a micro plane, peel and grate 4 cloves of garlic to a fine paste. Set the mix aside.

3.) Pick and chop your herbs: you’ll want 1 heaping cup of fresh mint leaves and 1 heaping cup of parsley leaves. Roughly chop these til they’re fine and a bit pasty. Set aside.

4.) Make your spice mix: 2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp ground white or black pepper, 1 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes(for delicious pops of salt) and 2ish tsp salt.

5.) Put all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Lightly grease your hands with olive oil and thoroughly mix everything together, using your palms and fingers. Be careful here - you want your kofta base thoroughly mixed and seasoned throughout, so don’t just toss it, but you’re not trying to press it into a compact mass. Examine the mix visually: you should see an even tint of spice and flecks of herbs throughout.  

6.) Lay out a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. To make perfect shaped kofta at the restaurant, we use a large soup spoon to scoop “quenelles” of meat - picture the way you’d scoop ice cream off the top of a pint, allowing the mixture to curve into a ball or, in this case, the oblong shape of the spoon. For the less perfectionist among us, it’s also totally ok to just use your damp hands to shape the kofta into little mini meat footballs. They’ll still taste great.

7) Heat olive oil on your grill (or in your cast iron pan) until just smoking. Place kofta on or in a few at a time, rotating periodically to brown all sides as evenly as possible. If you have a meat thermometer, you’re aiming for them to take them off around 125-130 degrees (for restaurant-recommended results), but you can also assess with your finger: the kofta should be a firm to the touch but still have a bit of give. You don’t want them squishy and you don’t want them rock solid.

8.) Serve with Persian rice, fresh pita, and some tasty, briny toppings! Summer stone fruit, cucumber, feta, labne, zhoug could all belong here :)