Patatesli Börek - Potato Borek

Potato borek, patatesli börek as we say in Turkish, is one of the best Turkish pastries. It is as popular and loved in Turkey as the classic cheese and spinach borek. They are very similar indeed, except their fillings and shapes. 

In this potato borek recipe, we want to show you the spiral borek shape. It is called rose börek, gül boregi in Turkish. You can use this shaping method with whatever borek filling you like, but the most famous one is this potato filling.

Always A Hit!

If you are familiar with Turkish recipes, you already know about borek pastry. We haven't met a single person (including kids) who doesn't like it. 

Potato boreks are like mini savory pies that make perfect breakfast, lunch or after school snack.

These are always a hit at Turkish brunch parties or tea parties in the afternoon. They are perfect for gatherings, so you might need to double the measurements here.

They taste amazing both warm and cold (at room temperature). We often make them at the weekend and enjoy them for lunch when they are still warm, pairing with ayran (the tangy yogurt drink).

And the leftovers are life savers during the week. They make a great quick lunch for us, especially when it is a photo shoot day. And a wonderful school lunch for our son. 

You don't need to reheat them. Just bring them to room temperature (if they have been stored in the fridge) and enjoy.

Potato Borek Filling

The potato filling here is the same as our simple dish called patates kavurma. It requires only a few simple ingredients.

You will need boiled potatoes, spices (we use salt, black pepper, paprika and Turkish red pepper flakes), parsley, onions, tomato paste and olive oil.

We do love this borek with a simple potato filling but you can always make your own twist.

If you are a cheese lover, you might want to make a potato and cheese borek recipe. So add some cheese in this filling mixture. We recommend crumbled feta cheese (Turkish white cheese), grated Turkish kasar cheese (similar to mozzarella) or cheddar cheese. 

If you are a meat lover, you can add Turkish pastırma or your favorite cold meat from the charcuterie section of markets. 

Filo Dough For Turkish Borek

Borek is originally made with Turkish yufka dough. You can easily find it at supermarkets if you are in Turkey but it may not be the easiest thing to find good yufka outside Turkey.  You can check it at online Turkish or Middle Eastern markets. 

And if you can't find it, no problem. The best substitute for yufka is filo pastry dough, also known as phyllo dough. You can easily find it at markets. It is much thinner than yufka, but still works fine.

We should remind you that filo pastry is not the same as puff pastry, so don't get confused when buying filo (phyllo) pastry. We always use filo pastry sheets to make borek and we are quite happy with the result.

If you need more filo pastry ideas, check out our Turkish baklava and other phyllo dough recipes we love.

How To Make Patatesli Gul Boregi

You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Making Turkish potato börek is easier than it looks! First, boil the potatoes until tender, peel, chop, and mix them with sautéed onion, tomato paste, and spices. Add some parsley or green onions for freshness and let the filling cool.

For the börek, place two phyllo sheets on top of each other, brushing melted butter between them. Since phyllo is very thin, we always use two sheets. If you’re using traditional Turkish yufka, one layer will be enough. Spread the filling along one side, roll it up, and shape it into a spiral that looks like a rose.

Place them on a baking sheet, brush with an egg yolk and olive oil mixture, and sprinkle sesame or nigella seeds on top.

Bake until beautifully golden and crisp, then enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Important Tip: Remove the filo sheets from the package. Cover them with a kitchen towel so that they don’t dry out while making the rolls. This is a very important tip, so please don't skip it! 

Note: This method of shaping patatesli borek is not a must. If you want, you can shape them like sigara boregi as well.

Serving Suggestions

This börek could be served at any meal.

It is a perfect breakfast when served with some tea. It is also great for lunch or dinner on its own or when paired with a bowl of warming soup like red lentil soup.

In Turkey, patatesli börek is often served as a part of an afternoon tea party. Other dishes like mercimek köftesi (lentil balls), mücver (zucchini fritters) and yaprak sarma (stuffed grape leaves) also accompany.

The leftovers make a wonderful breakfast on-the-go, picnic food or packed lunch.

Storage

You can keep these potato boreks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can let them sit on the counter for about 30 minutes and enjoy without reheating.

If you want to reheat, you can do so in a pan over medium low heat or in a preheated oven for 5 minutes.

You can freeze potato burek either cooked or uncooked.

To freeze, place the boreks on a parchment lined sheet in a single layer. Let them sit in the freezer for 40 minutes. Then put them in a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. 

You don't need to defrost the uncooked ones when you are ready to bake. Likewise, no need to defrost before reheating the cooked borek. You can reheat them in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

More Turkish Pastries

• Su Boregi
• Pogaca
• Simit
• Lavash Bread
• Bazlama