Tender potatoes, spiced ground beef and tomatoes come together in this hearty Turkish casserole. A fresh herb salad and a spoonful of yogurt keep it light.
Patates oturtması is a Turkish casserole in which potatoes and ground beef cook together with tomatoes and onion. In this version, the potato slices are briefly fried in a pan before being layered in the baking dish. This gives them a little color and helps them hold their shape, while they soak up the savory tomato juices as they cook. The result should be juicy, not dry, but not as wet as a soup or stew either.
Tomatoes bring freshness to the rich ground beef, while onion, garlic, paprika and pul biber add a warm, mildly spicy flavor. Pul biber is Turkish red pepper flakes; use less or leave it out if you want to keep the dish mild. Ripe tomatoes are at their best in summer. Out of season, you can replace them with a can of diced tomatoes and drain them well so there isn’t too much liquid in the dish. A little tomato paste deepens the sauce without making it heavy.
Cut the potatoes into slices about half a centimeter thick and fry them only until lightly colored. They don’t need to be fully cooked in the pan: the oven will make them tender. Use a large skillet for the ground beef so the meat fries rather than steams. Then layer the potatoes and beef and add only a small amount of broth. Cover the dish at first so the potatoes cook evenly. Remove the foil at the end for a slightly drier top.
Serve the casserole with yogurt and a salad of parsley, mint, cucumber and lemon. These cool, fresh flavors make a pleasant contrast with the tender potatoes and spiced tomatoes. A cucumber-yogurt sauce works too, but keep the salad simple with just herbs and lemon. Flatbread is handy for mopping up the remaining sauce; rice isn’t needed, since the potatoes already form the base of the meal.
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them covered within two hours. Keep them for up to three days and reheat in a covered baking dish or in a pan until piping hot throughout. If the sauce has thickened, add a splash of water when reheating. It’s best to make the salad and yogurt fresh so the herbs stay fresh and the cucumber stays crisp.
Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about ½ cm thick.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Fry the potato slices in batches in a single layer, about 2 minutes per side, until lightly colored but not cooked through. Transfer them to a plate.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Cook the onion gently for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the ground beef to the pan and cook, breaking it up, until browned. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, paprika, pul biber, salt and black pepper. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Arrange half the potato slices in a baking dish about 25 by 30 cm. Spread half the ground beef mixture over them. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and beef. Pour the broth into the dish along the edge.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Stir the yogurt until smooth and season with a little salt and lemon juice. For the salad, mix the cucumber, parsley, mint, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Serve alongside the hot casserole.
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