Muhlama
A melty Turkish cheese and potato skillet from the Black Sea region, crispy on the edges and creamy inside. Ready in 30 minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 18g
Ingredients
- 1 lb waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold)
- 8 oz white cheese (feta or kasseri)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Place each potato on the cutting board and slice straight down lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, like cutting bread from tip to root end, keeping the skin on.
- 2
Stack 3–4 potato slices and cut them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks, the shape and thickness of thick french fries.
- 3
Cut the cheese into 1/4-inch cubes by slicing the block into thin layers, then cutting each layer into thin strips, then cutting across the strips.
- 4
Fill a medium bowl with cold water, add all the potato sticks, and swish them around for 20 seconds to rinse off the starch so they cook evenly.
- 5
Drain the potatoes in a colander, shaking gently to remove excess water.
- 6
Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons butter, waiting until it melts and the foam subsides, about 90 seconds.
- 7
Add all the drained potato sticks to the skillet and stir once every 30 seconds for 8 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is fork-tender.
- 8
Pour 0.5 cup milk evenly over the potatoes and stir once with a wooden spoon to distribute it throughout, breaking up any clumps.
- 9
Scatter all the cheese cubes evenly across the top of the potatoes without stirring, so they melt into pockets throughout the dish.
- 10
Sprinkle 0.25 teaspoon black pepper over the surface, then remove the skillet from heat and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes so the cheese melts into creamy pockets.
- 11
Give the skillet a gentle stir with a wooden spoon just once, folding the melted cheese gently into the potatoes without breaking them apart — it should look creamy with visible cheese streaks, not uniformly mixed.
- 12
Serve directly from the skillet into two bowls, scraping the crispy browned bits from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon so each bowl gets some of the golden edges.
Tools you’ll need
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- medium bowl
- colander
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
- wooden spoon
- two bowls
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