Patates Oturtma (Ground Beef-Topped Potato Bake)

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm-thick rounds. Rinse in cold water to remove surface starch, then pat dry with paper towels.

Grate the onion and squeeze out its juice by hand. Finely chop the pepper and parsley. Knead the ground beef with the onion, pepper, parsley, salt for the filling, black pepper, Turkish red pepper flakes, and cumin for 6 minutes, until the mixture is tacky and sticks to your hand.

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Grease a 30 × 35 cm baking pan with sunflower oil. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer with no gaps, then brush the remaining oil over them. Divide the filling into as many portions as there are potato slices, shape each into a flat patty, and press one patty onto each slice.

Grate the tomato and whisk it with the tomato paste, hot water, and salt for the sauce. Pour the mixture between the slices into the bottom of the pan; the liquid should reach halfway up the potato slices without touching the patties.

Cover the pan with foil and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. During this time, the potatoes will start to soften in the tomato liquid.

Remove the foil and bake for 20 more minutes. A fork should slide into the potatoes without resistance, and the patties should be browned on top. The center of a patty should reach 71°C / 160°F.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes. Lift out each potato slice with its patty using a spatula, spoon over the pan juices, and serve.