Description

Kumpir is Turkey’s magnificent answer to the baked potato — and it is anything but modest. A large russet potato, baked until the skin is crisp and the interior completely fluffy, is opened, mashed vigorously with generous quantities of butter and kaşar cheese until it becomes a creamy, rich base, and then loaded with an extraordinary array of toppings: corn, pickled vegetables, olives, sausage, mushrooms, Russian salad, coleslaw, and whatever else the vendor has prepared that day.

Ortaköy: The Home of Kumpir

Kumpir is most strongly associated with Ortaköy, the charming neighborhood on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, where a cluster of kumpir stands has operated for decades in the shadow of the beautiful Baroque Ortaköy Mosque. The stands — with their enormous baked potatoes displayed in their ovens and their elaborate arrays of toppings laid out in gleaming bowls — have become as much a part of Ortaköy’s identity as the mosque and the Bosphorus bridge behind it.

On weekends, the lines at Ortaköy kumpir stands stretch for considerable distances, as Istanbulites from every neighborhood make the pilgrimage for what has become something of a culinary ritual. The decision of which toppings to choose — from among the twenty or thirty options on offer — is taken seriously and discussed at length. Kumpir is simultaneously a fast food and a cultural experience.

The Art of the Topping

What makes kumpir extraordinary is not just the quality of the potato — which must be genuinely large, properly baked, and thoroughly mashed with enough butter and cheese to achieve a creamy, rich base — but the philosophy of abundance that governs its toppings. A kumpir is not complete with one or two toppings: it should overflow with a diverse, colorful array of flavors and textures that together create a meal of considerable complexity from humble components.

The art of building a kumpir is a form of improvisation — choosing combinations of toppings that complement and contrast with each other, that provide the right balance of richness and acidity, of soft textures and crunchy ones. It is Turkish street food thinking at its most democratic and inventive: a dish that is entirely customizable, that gives every eater the pleasure of personal creation.

Ingredients

• 1 very large russet potato
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup kashkaval cheese, grated
• Toppings: sliced hot dogs, corn, peas, pickles, black and green olives
• Russian salad (mayo, peas, carrots, potatoes)
• Ketchup and mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Wash the potato, prick it with a fork, and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil.
2. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 60-90 minutes until completely soft inside.
3. Cut a slit down the middle of the potato, but don’t cut all the way through.
4. Using a spoon, mash the inside of the potato together with the butter and grated cheese until it becomes a smooth, stretchy puree.
5. Start piling on the toppings: a layer of Russian salad, then hot dogs, corn, peas, pickles, and olives.
6. Finish with generous squirts of ketchup and mayonnaise.
7. Eat immediately with a spoon.