Back when I was in college, the United States and Russian were in a spell of positive foreign relations. Not only was it cool to study the language, but it was safe and even encouraged for Americans to travel there. So after my junior year, I spent two months studying abroad in Moscow at a small school called the Institut Molodyozhi, or Institute of Youth.

I was in a group with seven other Americans who sometimes called it the Institute of Ice Cream because it sounded similar enough to the Russian word for ice cream (morozhenoye). While we were there in the summer, the school cafeteria didn’t serve ice cream as much as these hamburger meat patties called kotleti.

Essentially, they’re a cheap and reliable protein, and ubiquitous in Russian cuisine. This recipe is based on the one from Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya von Bremzen (Crown Publishers: New York, 2013). In the book, von Bremzen explains how the idea of hamburgers were brought to the Soviet Union by Anastas Mikoyan, Stalin’s food supply commissar, in 1936. Mikoyan was inspired by a trip to the United States, where he observed how hamburgers provided low-cost nourishment for the masses during the Great Depression. Apparently these persisted in popularity for several decades, at least long enough for my Muscovite cafeteria to serve them a few times a week in 1998.

I’ve made a couple edits to recalculate ingredients for a one-pound package of meat as a smaller version below. The smaller version makes about eight kotleti, so it seems reasonable to guess that the larger version will make 12.

Larger Version (makes about 12):
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef chuck (or a mixture of beef and pork)
2 slices stale white bread, crusts removed, soaked for 5 minutes in water and squeezed
1 small onion, grated (you can mince the end bits to spare your fingers)
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed in a press
2 tbsp. dill or parsley, finely chopped
2 1/2 tbsp. full-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1 1/2 c. fine dried bread crumbs
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter

Smaller Version (makes about 8):
1 lb. ground beef chuck (or a mixture of beef and pork)
1 2/3 slices stale white bread, crusts removed, soaked for 5 minutes in water and squeezed
1 shallot, grated (you can mince the end bits to spare your fingers)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/3 tbsp. dill or parsley, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. full-fat mayonnaise
2/3 tsp. kosher salt
1 pinch ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1 c. fine dried bread crumbs
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter

In a mixing bowl, combine everything but the bread crumbs and oil. Use your (clean) hand to blend well into a homogenous mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The patties will be easier to form when cold.

Wet your hands and shape the mixture into oval patties approximately 3 1/2 inches long.

Spread bread crumbs onto a large plate or a sheet of wax paper. Coat the patties in crumbs, flattening them out slightly and pressing down for the crumbs to adhere.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter until sizzling. Fry a few of the kotleti at a time, leaving an inch or so between patties in the skillet, over medium-high heat until golden brown (about 4 minutes per side). Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Fry for another 2-3 minutes to cook through. Be careful when removing the lid, as condensation will ignite when it hits the hot grease.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the patties and serve immediately.