harissa potatoes
May 7, 2014 § 77 Comments
Harissa potatoes would be perfect with eggs on a Saturday morning, or as a dinner side with roasted chicken. You could serve these as part of a meze, a selection of small dishes to make a meal, in the same way tapas are served in Spain, or, as we American’s might enjoy small plates dining. These potatoes are lovely served warm or room temperature with a tomato salad, tzatziki, and a good home made hummus.
We have been enjoying the flavor combination of sundried piments, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, coriander and caraway seeds in a traditional harissa paste which is hand made in Tunisia. Harissa is a hot sauce (or paste rather) used in North African cuisine, made from chili peppers, spices, and olive oil. My store bought harissa paste adds a delicious flavor to bland foods such as chickpeas, carrots and potatoes. Although I haven’t made my own harissaa yet, John fromthebartolinikitchens’ has a recipe you could try. Visit his post to learn more about harissa and for a wonderful chicken thigh recipe too.
Recipe slightly adapted from Herbivoracious.
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 medium size potatoes -yukon golds would be a nice choice
- 2 teaspoons harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon, I found this at our local market
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- sea salt, to taste
- crumbled feta cheese for serving
- fresh dil for serving
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and cook for 1 minute until it begins to soften. Add the potatoes, harissa, preserved lemon, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender in the middle. It helps to cover the pot so that the tops of the potatoes are steaming a bit while the bottoms are browning. Uncover for the last couple of minutes.
To serve, taste and adjust seasoning. You might need more salt, harissa, or preserved lemon. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with the feta cheese and a very generous amount of fresh dill.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
What a lovely dish, Seana.. I have to admit, I’ve never tried harissa. I have a feeling that I’d like it very much…and instead of going out to buy some, I think I will hop over to John’s to check out his recipe.
I do love the combination of the potatoes, with the cumin, feta, and dill though..that sounds so fabulous! I will be trying this again very soon!
As always… a beautiful post.. <3
I think you would really like harissa Prudy and hope you do try it! I agree, just potatoes with cumin, feta and dill would be great. But, this harissa really is something to experience. I have been using it so much lately. I bought a jar a few months ago and it lasts forever. I’ve had John’s harissa recipe bookmarked for awhile now and have yet to run out, I’l be making it for sure though! Thank you! Nice chatting today! :)
I want these right now!
You must make them! You can find this wonderful harissa at Metropolitan Market if you happen to be in the lower Queen Anne area. It’s so good! Even little “T” likes it! (yeah right..little?) :)
mmm these look wonderful!
Thank you …. have you cooked with harissa? If now, I think you would love it.
Not yet. But I definitely want to. Recipes aside, there are still a ton of ingredients on my to try list! Hemp seeds and oil, harissa, buckwheat flour, spelt flour, I could just go on and on :P
What a great dish, I can see this served with so many different kinds of foods. Checked out John’s homemade harissa and it looks amazing, will be making some myself. Thanks!
Thank you. It’s true, these potatoes would go well with so many foods. We actually had them with chickpea fritters and they were fabulous. I need to get my technique down a little though on the chickpea fritters. Although they tasted amazing they did not look so appetizing! I’m going to master them if it’s the last thing I do! :)
Delicious, Seana! I actually bookmarked John’s recipe when he posted it and plan on giving it a go. Now that I see your delicious potatoes, I’m beginning to realize how versatile harissa can be! Thanks for opening my eyes. :)
Hi Nancy. John’s post was so inspiring and I really was looking for a harissa recipe because my stock was slowly dwindling. I can’t believe how expensive it can be to buy and you know how everything tastes better home made anyway. Hope you try it…such vibrant flavors you will love.
My favorite “healthy” snack is to take a can of chickpeas, mix them with some harrisa oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper and bake them until crunchy (usually about 30 minutes at 350 or so). But harrissa and potatoes is a darn close second!
Sounds like that would be my favorite treat too! Oh my goodness. I love crispy chickpeas and I love smoked paprika on mine…I actually crave them. Love your idea too. I’ll have to do them this way next time…which will be soon, I’m sure.
I think I may have to try these, they look delicious. I don’t have harissa paste but dried spice. I find it odd but I did get it at williams sonoma…so I don’t know. Just different I guess.
I find that a bit odd too! Well more interesting than odd…William Sonoma? So it’s a harissa dried spice. I bet it good, actually. Bet you could use it just as a paste.
You are right – I bet these potatoes go great with eggs.
We didn’t have them with eggs…but I think I’ll be making them this coming weekend with eggs. Sounds like a good breakfast to me!
Wow cottage girl! These look perfect for Sunday brunch!
:) I think so too!
Yummy potatoes and yes they would be amazing with eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Delicious!!
I hesitated on posting a silly potato recipe, because, well…it’s potatoes! But, these were so delicious I just had to. Have you ever posted something and thought “nobody’s going to find this interesting!”…. :)
Fab!!! I made my own harissa only yesterday ☺️
Great! I want to make harissa. I am a bit head over heels about it these days.
Fab!
I love harissa, and the potatoes look amazing! Try leftover harissa on salmon!
I will. Never thought about using harissa on salmon but now that you mention it I bet it’s fantastic. Especially if you get a nice crust about it. I’ll try it for sure. Thank you for the idea!
These look really scrumptuous! Thanks for the recipe :)
:) Thank you for stopping by and reading!
Hells yeah. North African patatas bravas!! Effing love it!
:) Good stuff Maynard.
Maynard?
Ah! I just realized it’s an American saying. It comes from an old cereal commercial…it’s sort of a joke.
Rodger that :)
Rodger? Just kidding….
Bahaha
I love soup made with harissa so am sure I will love these potatoes too.
Soup? Well there’s an idea I hadn’t thought of. I can only imagine how wonderful a harissa flavored soup would be. I’m going on a search now. Any leads? :)
There are many variations of a Moroccan soup/tagine made with harissa and lamb. For a vegetarian take I’ve tried this Ottolenghi recipe: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/apr/26/recipe.foodanddrink , or added harissa and Moroccan spices to a tomato soup. Hope this gives you some ideas?
Oooo. Thank you so much. I especially like the idea of Moroccan spices in tomato soup. There’s a whole new world of flavors I need to experience! :)
Another winner! I have set John’s harissa recipe aside to make too, sooner now, i have the incentive of making these spiced up spuds!
I have been thinking of John’s recipe since I saw it. I love harissa and I can’t seem to get to the bottom of my store bought paste, which it fine because it really is wonderful. The spuds are good. Hope you make them!
I have never had harissa, but it looks like something I would enjoy. Thank you for teaching me about something new!
Your welcome! My pleasure because I want to spread the love of harissa! It really is a wonderfully spicy paste that goes with so many dishes. Once you try it you’ll find yourself experimenting with all sorts of vegetables. Thank you for stopping in. :)
Wonderful…as usual! ;)
Thank you Serena… :)
Lovely recipe! It’s always fun to have a new way to liven up potatoes :)
I agree. I love potatoes and it seems there are so many things to do with them. This was such a lovely spicy flavor which went perfectly with them. The feta and dill worked really well too. :)
Yum! Harissa is my new favorite thing. I think I’ve tried it with just about every cut of meat but never thought of using it with veggies! I think you have just shown me the road to a new world! Thanks! :)
Awww. Harissa. Isn’t it incredible? I have only had it with vegetables and chicken, well and chickpeas too, and now I’m on a new road of trying it with different meats. I love the stuff and can’t get enough of it. Glad to see you like it too. :)
yes please :-)
I just love potatoes and this dish would be sure to please.
Me too. I could eat them with salt only and be satisfied. :) But, the harissa really is fabulous. Must make John’s harissa soon!
What a delicious preparation for potatoes, Seana! Full of spice and flavor. Can’t eat potatoes any other way! :)
Thank you! Love spicy flavor with potatoes. This is the first time I have made them with a spice combination other than a Mexican type spice, which is wonderful too. I love potatoes!
Potatoes and harissa, great great combination Seana :) We have always at home harissa (and bread) on the table. You should try to do a home made harissa!
I certainly will be trying John’s harissa recipe soon. I like you always have harissa (and bread) on your table. So delicious and something I would always look forward to at meal time.
More uses for Harissa – I’m convinced that I need to make some of this gorgeous spicy paste and start enjoying it too! Thanks for this great recipe Seana.
The more uses for harissa, the better, right? Do whip up a batch because apparently it is wonderful on bread too! So, what I’m finding is I have been missing out all these years on a wonderful harissa paste that many other cooks have been using quite often on all kinds of wonderful foods.
I’ve been roasting potatoes with harissa and, though they’re a nice change from those roasted with olive oil and rosemary, mine were lacking something. Your addition of feta, lemon juice and cumin is just what mine need. Love, too, the idea of serving them with a bit of tzatziki on the side. Thanks for the inspiration, as well as for the shout-out. That was kind of you.
I think you are right. I imagine the potatoes without the lemon (or lime) feta and cumin and it just wouldn’t be the same at all. You actually really inspired me with your harissa posts John because I have only recently discovered it and really enjoy the flavor. Do you like sun dried tomatoes? Perhaps one of these days you can add a little to your home made harissa and let me know what you think. The paste I have has a very slight sun dried tomato flavor so I know not much was added. It’s wonderful.
That’s a great idea and I will give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll let you know.
Mmmm…so simple yet thoroughly tasty and addictive x
Yes, very addictive and you now how stuffed you feel after you eat too many potatoes! Hard to stop. Such lovely spicy flavors, perfect for potatoes.
Yum! I love all of your recipes so much. We really share the same taste in food (or that’s how it seems to me anyway). :) I love that on top of the harissa, you also added feta and dill. (Also: yet another use for my homemade preserved lemons! Bonus!)
I think you are right, we do share a similar palate. I just love your posts (photographs and recipes!). I never read your posts in my reader, I have to click on “view original” and go directly to your blog to get the full experience! Yes – homemade preserved lemons, something I need to make too. Did you see Amanda’s post?
http://sercocinera.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/preserved-lemons/
Yes, I saw that! I had already made mine back in December (following a recipe video from Food52), but Amanda’s photos were inspirational, as usual. Now I think I’ll make preserved lemons an annual project!
I’m always getting so hungry when I see your blog, such healthy comfort food, wow! ;-)
HI Rosa. So nice to see you were here the other day! I must go check in with you. Thank you for your lovely comment. :)
I love potatoes and this is such a wonderful recipe I am sure to try. Thank you for sharing my friend. :)
So nice to see your presence again Danny. I hope you are enjoying yourself in Hong Kong. Looking forward to seeing some posts from gotaste….
Interesting recipe! Never tried harissa-infused stuff at home. But your recipe inspired me … as it talks about ‘Potatoes’ :)
Hopefully inspired enough to try at home! :) Such a simple recipe that has so much flavor. Thank you for your visit…
Harissa is one of my favourite spice blends. I hadn’t thought of putting it on potatoes – I must try this – thanks for posting!
I love harissa too! I am just realizing how many foods harissa complements. Hope you give it a try it’s wonderful on potatoes.
It seems that during my week off from the blog I missed a lot of recipes… finally I’m here…. How could I miss this recipe??? I love the simplicity of this recipe, I’m sure the taste has to be amazing! thanks for sharing!
Isn’t it nice to take a little break sometime? Glad to see you back and thank you for you checking in with so many of my posts. You would not be disappointed with these harissa potatoes, like you said…simplicity and so flavorful too. :)
Did you say “to have with eggs”? Another wonderful recipe then that I must attempt for consumption. And to think, I had crumbled feta in my hand yesterday at the store but thought… nah, next time, I’m not feelin’ in today, ahh!