Sucuk Kumpir with Homemade Russian Salad

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Scrub the potatoes, dry them completely, prick each 6 to 8 times with a fork, rub with a thin coat of olive oil and sprinkle all over with coarse salt.

   Add in this stepLarge floury baking potatoes (about 350 g each) 2Olive oil 1 tspCoarse salt ½ tsp

   oven

2. Put the potatoes straight onto the middle rack (with a tray below for drips) and bake for 55 min, until a skewer slides into the centre with no resistance. This is the first bake.

3. Meanwhile make the Russian salad (Rus salatası). Cut the carrot into 7 mm dice and cook in lightly salted boiling water in a 16 cm pan over high heat for 6 min, adding the peas for the last 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water to cool and shake off every drop of water. Dice the gherkins the same size and fold everything together with the mayonnaise, yoghurt and dill; chill.

   Add in this stepCarrot 80 gFrozen peas 60 gPickled gherkins 40 gMayonnaise 3 tbspPlain yoghurt 2 tbspDill, chopped 2 tsp

   high heat

4. Shred the red cabbage as finely as you can, add the lemon juice and salt and squeeze with your hands for a minute until it softens.

   Add in this stepRed cabbage 80 gLemon juice 2 tspSalt (for the cabbage) 1 pinch

5. Take out the potatoes, brush the melted butter all over the skins, turn the oven up to 220 °C and bake for 10 min more. The skin turns deep gold and glass-crisp.

   Add in this stepMelted butter (for the skin) 10 g

   oven

6. Meanwhile slice the sucuk on the diagonal 5 mm thick, spread it in a dry frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3 min, until the edges curl and crisp in their own red fat. Drain on kitchen paper.

   Add in this stepSucuk (Turkish garlic beef sausage) 80 g

   medium heat

7. Hold each potato with a tea towel and cut a long slit along the top without cutting through the bottom. Push the ends together to open it, add the butter, warm milk and salt, and mash the flesh inside the skin with a fork until smooth. Add the cheese in two batches, stirring hard, for a creamy, stretchy filling.

   Add in this stepButter, softened (for the mash) 40 gWarm milk 2 tbspSalt 1 pinchKaşar cheese (or low-moisture mozzarella), grated 120 g

8. Top with a generous spoonful of Russian salad, the red cabbage and the crispy sucuk, sprinkle with pul biber and serve at once.

   Add in this stepPul biber (Turkish chilli flakes) ½ tsp