Balkan Mushroom Potato Skillet with Garlic Paprika 🍄✨

Description

Balkan Mushroom Potato Skillet with Garlic Paprika is a hearty fasting dish with golden potatoes, deeply browned mushrooms, sweet onions, roasted peppers, garlic, paprika, parsley, and a glossy olive oil finish. It is rustic, juicy, naturally vegan, and full of that tavern-style Balkan comfort that tastes simple but feels rich. ✨

Hook ✨

Golden potatoes, smoky paprika, garlicky mushrooms, and sweet roasted peppers make this fasting skillet bold, cozy, and impossible to leave alone. 🥔

Ingredients

• Potato base 🥔
• 🥔 800 g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks (5½ cups / 1.76 lb)
• 🧂 6 g fine sea salt, for boiling water (1 tsp / 0.21 oz)
• 💧 1.5 l water, for boiling (6 cups / 51 fl oz)
• Mushroom skillet 🍄
• 🍄 450 g brown mushrooms, thickly sliced (5 cups / 1 lb)
• 🧅 180 g yellow onion, thinly sliced (1¼ cups / 6.3 oz)
• 🫑 180 g roasted red peppers, sliced (1 cup / 6.3 oz)
• 🧄 12 g garlic, finely chopped (4 cloves / 0.42 oz)
• 🫒 60 ml olive oil (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 5 g sweet paprika (2 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🌶️ 2 g smoked paprika (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🧂 5 g fine sea salt (¾ tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🍋 15 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• Finish 🌿
• 🌿 20 g fresh parsley, chopped (½ cup / 0.7 oz)
• 🌶️ 1 g chili flakes, optional (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🫒 15 ml olive oil, for gloss (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🥖 300 g crusty bread, for serving (10.6 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Parboil the potatoes 🥔
2. Place the potatoes in a pot with water and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 min, until the edges soften but the centers still hold their shape. Drain very well.
3. 2️⃣ Brown the mushrooms 🍄
4. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 30 ml (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz) olive oil and the mushrooms. Cook for 8–9 min, stirring only occasionally, until the mushrooms lose moisture and turn deeply golden.
5. 3️⃣ Add onion and peppers 🧅
6. Add the onion and cook for 5 min until soft and lightly caramelized. Add the roasted red peppers and cook for 2 min more, letting their sweetness blend into the mushrooms.
7. 4️⃣ Bloom the garlic paprika base 🌶️
8. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 30 ml (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz) olive oil, garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. Stir for 45 sec, just until fragrant. Do not burn the paprika.
9. 5️⃣ Crisp the potatoes 🔥
10. Add the drained potatoes to the skillet. Toss gently, then cook for 8–10 min until the potatoes pick up color and the paprika oil coats everything in a glossy red-gold layer.
11. 6️⃣ Finish bright and juicy ✨
12. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice, parsley, chili flakes if using, and the final 15 ml (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz) olive oil. Toss once and let the skillet rest for 5 min before serving with crusty bread.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 35 min
🛋 Rest: 5 min
⏰ Total: 55 min

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