Love simple meals? Make Patates Kavurma, Turkish potatoes with onion and spices! Boiled potatoes come together with onion and spices in a pan and turn into something really tasty. It’s easy to make with just a few ingredients, and if you have potatoes at home, you can try it right away.
A Humble Dish from Turkish Homes
Patates kavurma is one of the simplest dishes from Turkish cuisine. It doesn’t ask for many ingredients or much effort, and that’s why it’s known as a humble food in Turkey.
You won’t find it in restaurants, but in homes, it often shows up when there isn’t much left in the fridge. That’s when a few potatoes, an onion, and some spices come together to save the day.
About the Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You don't need much to make Turkish potatoes with onions and spices, just a handful of basic ingredients that you probably already have at home.
- Potatoes: No need for a special type, any potatoes you have will work.
- Onion: Same here, just use what you’ve got.
- Tomato paste (domates salcasi): This is to give a richer flavor to the dish.
- Spices: We use paprika, pul biber (red pepper flakes), and black pepper, but feel free to adjust the flavors to your taste.
- Herbs: We usually go with whatever is in the fridge. This time it was parsley, but dill or green onions would be just as good.
Optional Add-ins
You can also add green or red peppers, or even both, for extra flavor and color. A little garlic cooked with the onion is another nice touch if you want a bit more depth.
How to Make Patates Kavurma
You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Making patates kavurma is really simple.
First, the potatoes are boiled until tender, then peeled and chopped. In another pan, onion is cooked in olive oil until soft, and tomato paste is stirred in.
The boiled potatoes go into the pan along with spices, everything gets mixed well, and finally fresh herbs are added on top.
That’s it, really quick and easy!
Serving Suggestions
Patates Kavurma works any time of the day; for lunch, dinner, and even breakfast if there are leftovers.
In our family, we love squeezing some fresh lemon juice on top, so we always serve it with lemon wedges on the side.
Since this is a dish people often make when there isn’t much at home, the sides are usually just as simple. Sliced tomatoes and pickles are the classics, but cucumbers or green or red peppers work too; basically whatever is around. If you have the ingredients, a fresh seasonal salad (mevsim salata) is also a great match.
And if you’d like to serve Patates Kavurma as a side dish instead of the main meal, it goes really well next to köfte or chicken dishes.
Enjoy It as a Meal or as a Pastry Filling
Patates Kavurma is not only a simple and light meal on its own, but it also makes a perfect filling for some of Turkey’s famous savory pastries like pogaca and börek.
We actually use it this way quite often, because it’s our son’s favorite filling.
Just one small note: When we prepare it as a pastry filling, we chop the potatoes into much smaller pieces so they fit better inside.
How to Store Leftovers
Patates Kavurma is best enjoyed fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You don’t even need to reheat it, just take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving and enjoy it at room temperature. If you’d still like it warm, add a splash of water and reheat in a pan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Other Simple Turkish Dishes For You
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.
📖 Recipe
Patates Kavurma (Turkish Potatoes with Onion and Spices)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes pul biber
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered until tender, about 30 minutes. Check with a fork. Drain, rinse under cold water, peel, and chop.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion until soft.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chopped potatoes, salt, paprika, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, add parsley, stir, and serve warm as a main or use as a filling for pastries.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Leave a Reply