Name: Kumpir
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: Kumpir with smoked meat; 1 large potato; 1 teaspoon butter; 1 good handful of grated, easy melting cheese (burger cheese, cheddar cheese, or mozzarella); 6 slices of dried and smoked meat (bacon, beef jerk, or any kind of meat you like would do great as well); 1 teaspoon tomato paste (you can use tomato sauce or pepper paste); 1 small green pepper, finely chopped; 1 sprig of spring onion, finely sliced (or chives); 1 small pickled gherkin, sliced; A pinch of salt; A pinch of freshly ground black pepper; To garnish,; Crispy onions (any chips work great); 1 large potato; 1 teaspoon butter; 1 good handful of grated, easy melting cheese (burger cheese, cheddar cheese, or mozzarella); 1 sausage (any kind of sausage that you love); 2 heaped tablespoons of American salad (you can find the recipe down below); A pinch of salt; A pinch of freshly ground black pepper; A pinch of hot chili flakes; For the American salad:; 1 good handful of fresh peas (alternatively, use frozen or canned peas); 1 small carrot, chopped into 1 cm dice; 1 pickled gherkin, chopped into 5 mm dice; 1 clove of pickled garlic, finely chopped; 5 slices of dried and smoked meat, finely sliced (bacon, beef jerk, or any kind of meat you like would do great as well); 3 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 pinches of salt; A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Kumpir is on the menu in Book recipe, and we are going to teach you how to make this delicious recipe from scratch!

I bet you didn’t know that the humble baked potato is one of our favorite street foods! Some streets in Istanbul are packed with stalls selling nothing but this. We call it “kumpir” and what makes it super special is that we literally load it with unique fillings. I promise you’ve never had a baked potato quite like this! The secret to a perfect baked potato is to get it crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth creamy on the inside. I developed a special cooking technique that guarantees professional results using just your kitchen oven! Even the Turkish street food guys approve ???? Try it and let me know how it works!

Follow along with the 📝 recipes below👇🏾👇🏾

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Kumpir

Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 120 Minutes 120 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Kumpir with smoked meat

1 large potato
1 teaspoon butter
1 good handful of grated, easy melting cheese (burger cheese, cheddar cheese, or mozzarella)
6 slices of dried and smoked meat (bacon, beef jerk, or any kind of meat you like would do great as well)
1 teaspoon tomato paste (you can use tomato sauce or pepper paste)
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1 sprig of spring onion, finely sliced (or chives)
1 small pickled gherkin, sliced
A pinch of salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
To garnish,
Crispy onions (any chips work great)

1 large potato
1 teaspoon butter
1 good handful of grated, easy melting cheese (burger cheese, cheddar cheese, or mozzarella)
1 sausage (any kind of sausage that you love)
2 heaped tablespoons of American salad (you can find the recipe down below)
A pinch of salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of hot chili flakes

For the American salad:

1 good handful of fresh peas (alternatively, use frozen or canned peas)
1 small carrot, chopped into 1 cm dice
1 pickled gherkin, chopped into 5 mm dice
1 clove of pickled garlic, finely chopped
5 slices of dried and smoked meat, finely sliced (bacon, beef jerk, or any kind of meat you like would do great as well)
3 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise
2 pinches of salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven with upper and lower heat and without a fan to 250 C (482 F).
Wrap the potatoes with foil-backed parchment paper or regular parchment paper would do great as well.
Place the potatoes in the bottom of the oven and put a tray on top of them. For the perfect kumpir oven, the bottom and the top of the potatoes need to be touched by both the tray and the bottom of the oven.
Bake the potatoes for around 1,5 hours until they become soft inside. If you are in doubt about your oven’s performance like me, switching the place of the potatoes several times always helps for an even baking.
During the last 10-15 minutes of baking, it’s time to prepare the ingredients for your kumpir fillings.
When the baking is done, take the potato out of the oven and place in a dish. A small, rectangular dish will help to handle the potato.
Make a big and deep cut along with the potato lengthwise while it is still hot
Add the butter, grated cheese, salt, and black pepper. Mix until the mixture becomes creamy. Spare some grated cheese for later.
So far, this is the base for kumpir. You can fill it with whichever ingredients you like. To give you an idea, here are my two delicious options.

For kumpir with smoked meat:

Cook the smoked meat slices in a cast iron pan on medium heat until they become crispy.
Add tomato paste, green pepper, spring onion, pickled gherkin, and grated cheese into the baked potato and mix well.
Chop the crispy, smoked meat and sprinkle over your kumpir.
Sprinkle some crispy onions or any kind of chips to garnish. It is time to take a big spoonful of your kumpir.

For kumpir with American salad and sausage:

To make the American salad, boil three cups of water in a saucepan and add a pinch of salt.
Add the carrots and peas into water and boil for about 5-10 minutes, until the peas get brighter first and then go back to their original color again.
Drain the boiled carrots and peas. Add a pinch of salt and give them a mix.
Combine the pickled gherkin and garlic, smoked meat, mayonnaise, black pepper, and boiled carrots and peas in a bowl.
Cook the sausage in a ridged cast-iron pan on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes.
To assemble the kumpir, spread the American salad on the potato and sprinkle hot chili flakes.
Slice the sausage and place it on top of your kumpir. It is time to go crazy with it!

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