JOIN! 12 Weeks for $1

Turkish Mashed Potatoes with Garlic, Yogurt and Cheese (Patates Paçasi)

6 to 8 Servings

1 hour 50 minutes 25 minutes active

Made This Recipe? Write a Review.
Thank you for submitting your review! A member of our team is confirming the review meets our site's Community Guidelines. It will be posted on the site shortly.

We learned about patates paçasi, mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic and tangy yogurt, on a recent trip to Turkey. The potatoes were twice-cooked: first boiled and mashed until smooth, then finished either in a skillet, with generous amounts of oil and butter, or smothered in cheese and baked until puffy and golden brown. For our adaptation, we opted for the latter. Traditionally, the dish incorporates kasar, a semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese, but since it’s difficult to source in the U.S., we sought out alternatives. We found that most melty cheeses, including mozzarella, cheddar and Gruyère, worked deliciously, and encourage using your favorite. The final touch is a drizzle of Aleppo pepper-infused butter, bringing both nuanced richness and earthy heat. For make-ahead convenience, the mashed potatoes can be put into the baking dish without the cheese topping, cooled, covered with foil and refrigerated a day in advance. When ready to bake, scatter the cheese onto the potatoes, re-cover with foil and bake as directed.

6 to 8

Servings

Tip

Don’t worry if the potatoes look watery and thin when first mashed. The pourable consistency is typical of patates paçasi. Once baked, the potatoes develop more structure, yet maintain a light, fluffy texture.

1 hour 50 minutes

25 minutes active

Ingredients

  • 2

    pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Pardon the interruption

You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe

JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1

and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.

GET DIGITAL & PRINT
How we use your email.

Your email address is required to identify your subscription. We will use it for customer service as well as other communications from Milk Street. We will not share, or rent your email address.

Reviews
Bill O.
January 28, 2023
Great dish
Disclaimer. I used cauliflower instead of potatoes to cut down carbs. Cut half and half in half. Did everything in food processor. Came out great.
John M.
January 16, 2023
Splendid!
I made this recipe exactly as written and thought that it was a delicious way to prepare mashed potatoes. Thanks very much once again, Ms. Hill & Milk Street team!
Elizabeth T.
November 19, 2022
Easy and terrific
Never going back to any other kind of mashed potatoes
stephanie e.
October 25, 2022
Flavorful mashed potatoes!
We really loved this dish. I am not such a mashed potato fan finding them too bland and heavy for my palate. This was a really elevated dish with a lighter texture. Adding the garlic, grated cheese (a very good aged cheddar)and Aleppo butter really made it special. I will be using the Aleppo drizzled on a lot of things now! This dish is an option for our Thanksgiving table now!
Angie P.
January 15, 2024
Wow!
Made as written and used cheddar cheese, was out of Aleppo so used sweet paprika and cayenne. I thought this recipe was a lot of work but it was worth it, this is our new go to mashed potato dish. Served the leftovers the next morning and topped with poached eggs, also tasty.