Smashed beef kebab over cucumber yogurt

Name: Smashed beef kebab over cucumber yogurt
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt (about 16 oz); 2 mini cucumbers, grated (about ½ lb); 3 tbsp mint, finely chopped (plus leaves to serve); 1 clove garlic, finely grated; 1 lb ground beef, 80 percent lean, or ground lamb; 1 small yellow onion, grated; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 2 tsp kosher salt (used in two halves, see method); ¼ cup walnut halves or pieces; 2 tbsp raisins or dried cranberries; black pepper; pomegranate molasses, optional, to serve; warmed pita or white rice, to serve

Sear the beef like a scallop. Let the yogurt catch it.

At a Glance

Time

25 min

Serves

Story

This is two Persian classics stacked on one plate. The cool base is mast-o-khiar, the cucumber and yogurt dip, and the meat borrows from kebab koobideh, the spiced grilled kebabs. The clever part is treating ground beef like a scallop, pressing it into the screaming pan and leaving it utterly alone so one face hard-sears into a deep craggy crust before you ever move it. The walnuts and raisins are traditional mast-o-khiar toppings, toasted here in the beef fat.

Ingredients

2 cups full-fat Greek yogurtabout 16 oz
2 mini cucumbersgrated (about ½ lb)
3 tbsp mintfinely chopped (plus leaves to serve)
1 clove garlicfinely grated
1 lb ground beef80 percent lean, or ground lamb
1 small yellow oniongrated
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp kosher saltused in two halves, see method
¼ cup walnut halves or pieces
2 tbsp raisins or dried cranberries
black pepper
pomegranate molassesoptional, to serve
warmed pita or white riceto serve

Method

Loud, fast and built on contrast, hot crisp meat dropped onto cold tangy yogurt. The one rule is patience at the pan: crowd the beef in and then do not touch it, because every second you fuss is a second of crust you are not building.

Stir the yogurt, cucumbers, chopped mint and garlic together in a bowl and chill it until you are ready to serve. Leave it unsalted for now.
In a second bowl, mix the beef, onion, turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the salt and plenty of pepper. A chilled onion grates with far fewer tears, if you think of it in advance.
Heat a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high until it is properly hot. Tear the beef into large irregular chunks with two spoons or your hands and drop them in. Cook undisturbed until charred and crisp underneath and browned halfway up the sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Resist every urge to poke it.
Now toss the meat with a wooden spoon, breaking up the biggest lumps. Add the walnuts and raisins and keep cooking, stirring, until the beef is done and the nuts are toasted, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Season the chilled yogurt with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and spread it across a platter. Pile the crisp meat on top, drizzle with pomegranate molasses if you have it and strew with mint leaves. Serve with warm pita or rice, and eat before the crust softens.