I originally saw this recipe in a Classic Turkish cookbook. It looked delicious, and was cooked in a clay pot. I tried it tonight, adapting it a bit with American ingredients. The result was a delicious, comforting dish that popped with flavors I never would have thought to combine. Give it a try the next time you’re in the mood for something a little different.
For this recipe you’ll need:
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 pound yellow potatoes, sliced relatively thinly (in rounds or half moons)
1 large red onion, sliced (in strips)
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin seeds if you have them
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
15 pitted Kalamata Olives, roughly chopped or halved
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (or 1 ½ teaspoons regular table salt)
¾ teaspoon paprika
To make this recipe:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced potatoes and cook for five minutes. Add sliced onions and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until the onions and potatoes have started to take on a little color.
Next, add the garlic and cumin and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
Add the vinegar, olives, and sugar and cook another 2 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, parsley, salt, and paprika and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Place the mixture into a shallow casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.
**This dish can be served hot or cold and goes PERFECTLY with a side of plain yogurt. If you haven’t tried yogurt with your meals, I urge you to give it a try. Until I got married, I hadn’t either, but let me tell you it’s delicious. This meal isn’t quite the same without it. Enjoy! Or as they say in Turkish…afiyet olsun!
Try this dish, too!