Biftekia • Baked Greek Beef Patties
After more than 60 Victoria Day holiday weekends, I can count on two hands how many times we’ve had gorgeous weather. Yes, since I’ve been living here in Vancouver, there have been many nice ones, but for the rest of the country, it has been pretty wet ☔, windy, and cold.
As much as Canadians 🍁 are anticipating spending the long weekend outside, firing up the BBQ or going for picnics, the chances are pretty slim. I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but I’ve been disappointed numerous times with our statutory holiday.
From experience, I thought to showcase a recipe that can be a bridge 🌉 between our favorite outdoor hamburgers and making them inside in case of uncertain weather. Here’s my take on Biftekia which are Baked Greek Beef Patties!
This comfort food is so tasty! It’s a cross between hamburger patties and meatballs, with gorgeous aromatic and savory flavors from Greek cuisine. Although these patties can be grilled, most often they’re baked in the oven, laying on top of lemon-roasted potatoes 🍋.
With a lovely blend of ingredients and seasonings, the meat mixture is chilled for at least 1 hour ⏰. It’s an important step because not only does it enhance the flavor, but also improves the texture and prevents the meat from falling apart when cooking.
Besides an egg, bread 🍞 is another binder. The bread is torn into small pieces and mixed with warm milk. This paste, called “panade”, won’t be moist enough, so a small amount of olive oil is added to it. Along with milk, it’s a common addition in Mediterranean cuisine when making a panade.
Biftekia • Baked Greek Beef Patties is an easy sheet-pan meal, as the patties are baked in the oven alongside potatoes 🥔. After mixing the broth mixture with the potato wedges, they’re baked in the oven for 30 minutes prior to adding the patties on top.
When half-an-hour ⌚ is up, the potato wedges are flipped so that the tops won’t dry out and each wedge will cook evenly. The patties are placed on top of them, nesting them comfortably, and then are drizzled with olive oil before being baked.
Another step I take after the patties are done and have reached an internal temperature of 165ºF is to turn on the broiler and leave them in for 5 minutes. It browns the meat and potato wedges nicely but also mimics that “grilled” taste achieved when food is cooked on the barbecue 🔥.
Whether Victoria Day weekend will be warm, cold, wet, or sunny, these Biftekia • Baked Greek Beef Patties are certainly a delicious meal to make. Garnished with crumbled feta cheese and fresh chopped parsley, plus paired with a salad 🥗, this flavorful dish will please everyone’s taste buds…
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Check out these other tasty beef recipes… 😀
– Cuban Picadillo
– Boti Kebabs
– Carne Asada Fries
– Ultimate Cheeseburgers
– Calico Beans
– Chili Dogs
– Italian Poutine
– Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps
– Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
and for even more Greek recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International – Greek Cuisine
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel 📽 by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Biftekia (Baked Greek Beef Patties)
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Ingredients
BIFTEKIA
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided tips & tricks
- 1 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
- ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste and divided
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 slices bread, crusts removed and torn
- 1/4 cup warm milk
- 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp. Greek seasoning see Recipe
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped tips & tricks
- freshly ground mixed peppercorns, to taste
POTATOES
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice tips & tricks
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground mixed peppercorns, or to taste
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and wedged
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
- 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
- 6 lemon wedges for garnish
Directions
BIFTEKIA
- In a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. olive oil. When it gets hot, add onions and season with ground sea salt. Sauté until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add pressed garlic and continue sautéing the ingredients for just 1 minute.
- Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, combine bread with warm milk; stir until absorbed. To completely moisten the bread, add a tiny amount of olive oil, stir once again, and then set aside.
- When onion mixture is cooled enough, add ground beef, bread pieces, egg, Greek seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Mix until all the ingredients are well-blended, cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the surface, and transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour while prepping the potatoes.
- Form patties and place them on top of semi-cooked potato wedges. Drizzle some olive oil on top of the meat and brush it on evenly.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the patties reaches 165ºF.
- Put the broiler on “High” and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before sprinkling on some crumbled feta cheese and garnishing with fresh chopped parsley.
POTATOES
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a measuring cup, combine broth, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, dried oregano leaves, salt and pepper. We’ll whisk everything until nicely blended.
- Place potato wedges in a bowl and pour the sauce over; stir to coat.
- Transfer the wedges and all the broth mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and reduce the temperature to 375ºF.
- Flip the potato wedges and place patties on top.
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