İzmir Köfte (Turkish Baked Meatballs)

İzmir köfte is a home-oven classic named for the Aegean city, though versions appear on tables everywhere in Turkey. Oval meatballs made with grated onion, garlic, and bread crumbs are nestled between slices of potato and bathed in a loose tomato sauce, then baked until the top browns and the sauce bubbles. It is the rare baked kebab that tastes like a long summer afternoon in the kitchen. The kind of dish that fills the house with a smell that needs no announcement.

Bubbling tomato and tender meatballs

The meatballs stay juicy from the bread and egg, the potatoes soak up the sauce and turn soft at the edges, and the sauce reduces into something glossy and spoonable. Serve it with rice pilaf or crusty bread to catch every drop. Shape the meatballs small so they cook through evenly, and let the sauce be a little thin — it thickens as it bakes. A handful of chopped parsley over the top just before serving keeps it fresh and bright.

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