Roasted Batata Harra
Spiced with sumac and paprika, these Lebanese-style roast potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to mezze and all your favourite Middle-Eastern dishes.
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- ¼ cup olive oil + more for roasting
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, destemmed
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp sumac
- salt & pepper to taste
- pinch of ras el hanout (optional, see recipe notes to make this Middle Eastern spice blend)
Instructions
Roast the potatoes
- Pre-heat the oven to 220°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper
- Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a mixing bowl until each piece of potato is evenly coated. Season with salt.
- Place the potatoes on the tray and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are crisp and golden-brown. Remove the tray at the halfway mark, flipping the potatoes to ensure they roast evenly.
Prepare the dressing
- Mix together ¼ cup olive oil with the lime juice, crushed garlic, paprika, sumac, ras el hanout (if adding) and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as per preference, for instance adding more lime juice for a zing, sumac for tartness, paprika for colour and/ or garlic for flavour.
Assemble the batata harra
- Remove the potatoes once they have roasted and immediately toss with the prepared dressing. Garnish with more parsley and serve hot!
Notes
- Add crushed red pepper flakes or chilli powder to the dressing to make these potatoes spicy.
- For added impact, you can also add a pinch of Ras el Hanout - a warm, maroon spice blend that can be liberally added to all Middle Eastern preparations for flavour. Recipe below.
Recipe: Ras el Hanout
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ tbsp cumin
- ½ tbsp coriander seeds
- ¼ tbsp clove
- ¼ tbsp cardamon
- ½ tbsp salt
- ½ tbsp black pepper