Patatnik (Savoury Potato Pie): A Taste of Bulgaria

Bulgarian Patatnik is a flavourful potato and cheese pie. It's warm and filling and utterly comforting, making a wonderful light lunch or suppertime side dish. (Skip to recipe.)

This month for our Eat the World recipe challenge we travel east to one of the Balkan countries, the Republic of Bulgaria. Its eastern boundary is its coast on the Black Sea, and it is bordered on the north by Romania, on the west by Serbia and North Macedonia, and on the south by Greece and Turkey. Its cuisine has strong Greek and Turkish influences.

As I was researching Bulgarian recipes to try, my eye was caught by (or actually, I started drooling over) patatnik, this traditional shredded potato and cheese pie originating in the Rhodope Mountains along Bulgaria's shared border with Greece. It is a simple dish, originally often cooked over an open fire. Many variations have the pie encased in a phyllo pastry crust, some have a sort of floury crust layer rolled out and placed under and over the potato mixture (seems like a lot of extra work), and they need to be flipped to cook both sides - which seems a bit scary. However, I stumbled upon a few versions that had this ingenious method of combining a thin layer of butter and flour sprinkled on the bottom of the skillet and on top of the shredded potato mixture, baking into a lovely crusty layer that holds the pie together very well.

The patatnik is baked at a very high temperature, simulating the embers of a slow fire and resulting in this warm, golden, crusty, buttery top covering the tender potatoes inside. Because you squeeze the excess liquid and starch out of the potatoes, they have a lovely moist texture, with little cheesy pockets hiding there, and eggs binding them together. In Bulgaria, you'd use some of their salty, briny local cheese known as sirene, but feta makes a good substitute. A mild variety of mint which grows in the Rhodope mountains is normally used, but a small amount of regular dried mint provides a similar flavour.

The Easy Process for Making a Patatnik (Bulgarian Potato Pie)

First you generously butter and flour your cast iron skillet.

Then start on the potatoes. Shredding them only takes a few minutes.

Pile the shredded potatoes onto a tea towel,

and squeeze out the extra starchy liquid.

Now mix them with lots of finely chopped or grated onion, crumbled feta, eggs, and spices.

Then plop them into your prepared skillet and smooth the top.

Now comes the easy top crust. Sprinkle on a thin layer of flour (I use sweet rice flour),

and dot it with butter.

Give it a nice long blast in a really hot oven. The butter melts to combine with the flour and make that lovely golden crust, and the edges get all crispy while the potatoes cook to tenderness inside.

Look at that golden deliciousness. I need to cut myself a wedge.

Serve it with a selection of pickles and fresh salads for a Bulgarian mountain feast.

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: A large cast iron skillet works best for baking a patatnik, but if you don't have a 12 inch one, you can use a 9x13 inch pan instead.

The feta cheese can be omited; just add about another half teaspoon of salt.

Patatnik (Bulgarian Potato Pie)

• 4 tablespoons soft butter, divided
• 4 tablespoons sweet rice flour (or regular flour for non-gluten-free), divided
• 3 lbs (1.4kg) potatoes (5 cups peeled and shredded)
• 2 medium-large onions (about 1 lb/450gms total)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup (130gms) crumbled feta cheese (or Bulgarian sirene cheese, if you can get it)
• 2 teaspoons dried mint (substitute 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled oregano if you don't have mint)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

Use 2 tablespoons of the butter to generously grease a 12 inch (30cm) cast iron skillet, making sure to butter up the sides, too (a 10-inch skillet will be too small to hold all the mixture). Alternately, you can use a glass or ceramic 9 x 13 inch (23x33cm) pan, although the mixture will be a little flatter in it, and you may need to cook it for a shorter time. Dump 2 tablespoons of the sweet rice flour (or regular flour) into the buttered skillet and swirl the pan around so the flour evenly coats the bottom and sides. There may be a little extra flour in the bottom of the skillet - that's okay.

Peel the potatoes and shred them on the large holes of a box grater. Pile the shredded potatoes onto a clean dish towel. Gather up the corners and edges of the towel to make a ball of the potatoes. Squeeze the potatoes to get out as much of the liquid as you can easily get out (don't squeeze them completely dry). If you can remove about a half to two thirds of a cup (120-160ml) of liquid, that is good, but don't worry if you get less - some potato varieties can be drier, and if you have really new potatoes, you may get even more liquid out. Discard the liquid.

Place the squeezed out potato shreds into a large bowl. The potatoes may get a little pinkish in colour as they sit - that's just them reacting with the oxygen in the air and nothing to worry about. They'll lose that colour again when they cook (just don't let them sit for an extra long time so they get really dark-coloured.)

Grate or finely chop the onions. (I like to whiz them up in my mini chopper. A food processor will work, too.)

Add the chopped onion, eggs, crumbled feta cheese, salt, pepper, and dried mint to the potatoes, and mix everything up well with your hands.

Plop the mixture into the prepared skillet or baking dish, and spread it so it is even, pressing it down with your hands to pack it solidly into the skillet. Smooth the top into an even, flat surface. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour into a small sieve and shake it over the top of the potato mixture into a thin, even layer. Dot the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter around the top of the patatnik in pea-sized chunks. The flour and butter will form a thin crust on the top, which holds the pie together.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the top is beautifully golden and the edges are a dark brown colour.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges to serve. Patatnik is traditionally served with a variety of pickles and salads.

Serves 8. (Leftovers reheat well.)

Guten Appetit!

 

Check out all the wonderful Bulgarian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Pandemonium Noshery: Bulgarian Sausage Stew
Sneha’s Recipe: Mekitsa - Bulgarian Fried Doughnuts
Sara’s Tasty Buds: Gevrek
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Patatnik + 2016 Edoardo Miroglio Bio Mavrud & Rubin
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Koledna Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread)
Making Miracles: Gyuveche
Kitchen Frau: Patatnik (Bulgarian Potato Pie)
Dinner By Dennis: Kebapche (Bulgarian Grilled Kebabs)
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Shopska Salata

 

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Check out my past ‘Eat the World’ Recipe Challenge posts:

(in alphabetical order)

• Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
• Cambodia: Noum Kong (Cambodian Rice Flour Doughnuts)
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• England: Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
• Ethiopia: Four Ethiopian Recipes for a Fantastic Feast
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• Finland: Lohikeitto (Creamy Salmon, Potato, and Dill Soup)
• France: Axoa d’Espelette (A Simple Stew from the Basque Country)
• Georgia: Charkhlis Chogi (Beets with Sour Cherry Sauce)
• India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
• Iraq: Tepsi Baytinijan (Eggplant & Meatball Casserole)
• Ireland: Dublin Coddle (A tasty Sausage and Potato Stew)
• Israel: Cucumber, Feta, and Watermelon Salad
• Kenya: Maharagwe with Ugali (Red Beans with Cornmeal Slice)
• Mexico: Cochinita Pibil Tacos (Pit Barbecued Pig to Make in Your Oven)
• New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
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• Portugal: Tuna and Sardine Pâtés
• Puerto Rico: Piña Colada Cocktail
• Senegal: Mafé (Beef and Peanut Stew)
• Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
• Switzerland (Christmas): Basler Leckerli Cookies
• Thailand: Shrimp Laksa (Khung)
• Trinidad & Tobago: Peanut Butter Prunes
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