Patatesli Yumurta
(pah-tah-tes-lee yoo-moor-tah)
Kahvaltı (The Sprawling Weekend Morning)
Six-thirty on a Tuesday, you slice potatoes with a paring knife, the oil hisses in a heavy ten-inch skillet, and there is no need for frozen convenience foods or frantic scrambling here. The secret lies entirely in restraint: letting raw half-moons of russet potato steam and fry under a lid until perfectly tender, then draping them in barely beaten eggs. The potato edges catch in the pan while the eggs stay soft. Drop the skillet right in the center of the table and hand out a torn hunk of bread.
Before you start
Maintain a uniform dice.
Take care to cut the potatoes into even half-inch cubes. If they are irregular, the smaller pieces will carbonize before the larger pieces achieve starch gelatinization in the center.
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes2 med
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- eggs4 large
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- Aleppo pepper1 tsp
- dried oregano1/2 tsp
- dried mint1 pinch
- low-moisture mozzarella1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Build the crust.
Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering, then add the diced potatoes in an even layer and let them sit undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes.
- 02
Steam-fry the potatoes.
Add the butter to the pan. As it foams and melts into the oil, gently toss the potatoes and sprinkle with half of the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until deeply golden and tender, giving the pan an occasional shake.
- 03
Prepare the eggs.
While the potatoes cook, crack the eggs into a bowl with the remaining salt, black pepper, and oregano. Beat with a fork for no more than 5 seconds to barely break the yolks, leaving the whites distinctly intact.
- 04
Marry the potatoes and eggs.
When the potatoes offer zero resistance to a fork, sprinkle the Aleppo pepper directly over them to bloom in the hot fat for ten seconds, then pour the egg mixture evenly over the top.
- 05
Set the eggs gently.
Do not scramble the eggs. Reduce the heat to the absolute lowest setting, sprinkle with the mozzarella and dried mint if using, and replace the lid. Let the ambient heat gently set the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes, leaving the yolks soft and the bottom crispy.
- 06
Serve immediately.
Slide the entire mass onto a warm plate or serve straight from the skillet alongside crusty bread and sliced tomatoes.
Notes
Respect the potato.
Do not substitute frozen hash browns; they lack the rigid cellular structure needed for this texture. The residual surface starch on freshly diced potatoes helps build the cohesive crust.
Hold back on the whisk.
Vigorously beaten eggs will incorporate too much air, turning spongy and detaching from the potatoes. Barely breaking the yolks ensures a rustic, marbled bind.
From Cook Turkish in America.