Lebanese Spicy Potatoes: Batata Harra

"Batata Harra, or "Spicy Potatoes," is a fairly common dish from Lebanon, which is also eaten in Syria, and I "believe" that it's not totally uncommon in some other Middle Eastern areas, like Jordan. It is a dish in its own right, or it can be served as a side dish. 

 

If you like lemony flavor, you can certainly use 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Harissa is a Tunisian chili pepper paste made with olive oil and typically seasoned with some spices. Its use goes well beyond Tunisia across North Africa and into the Middle East. It is available in many supermarkets, and most certainly in Middle Eastern grocery stores or food shops. Commonly pronounced "ha-riss-ah" or "hu-riss-ah" in English, but more like "ha-ree-zah" in Arabic.  

 

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced (1 inch dice)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 3 teaspoons harissa, depending upon desired heat level (or chopped chili pepper)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (also known as fresh coriander to some)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (for the sauce)

vegetable oil or olive oil for frying, enough to give about 1/4 inch depth of oil in your skillet (or use about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to drizzle on the potatoes if you are roasting them)

 

You can roast the diced potatoes, or you can fry them. To roast: put the diced potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle on about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; put into a preheated 400 F oven for about 45 minutes, turning the potatoes one time after 25 minutes. The potatoes are done when they have a crispy exterior, but the centers can be easily pierced by a fork. To fry: add enough oil to a skillet to give about 1/3 inch of oil; heat the oil over medium heat and fry the potatoes to achieve the same as just mentioned above; or, you can boil the diced potatoes first, drain them VERY well, and then fry them. For the seasoning: In a skillet or a pan, add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, and saute for 30 to 45 seconds, then add the harissa and saute a further 30 seconds, mixing everything around constantly. Remove the potatoes from the oil (or from the baking sheet) and add them to the harissa/garlic mixture; add the lemon juice, chopped cilantro (fresh coriander), salt and ground black pepper; mix everything.  

 

 

 

Kith-This word, in more recent times most commonly used in the expression "kith and kin," is related to "ken" (knowledge, understanding, comprehension), "know," "can" (the verb, initially meaning 'to be able to do something through knowledge,' later expanded beyond that) and "couth/uncouth," all words going back to the Germanic roots of English, and to "cognizance," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from French. "Kith" goes back to Indo European "gnoh/gneh," meaning "to know," and this gave Old Germanic the verb "kunnanan," with the same general meaning. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cunnan," meaning, "to know, to be able to do something (by having knowledge of), to be familiar with," and the base of the past tense forms being "cuþ" (=cuth), with the meaning "known." This gave Old English the noun "cyðð" (=cythth) meaning "kinfolk, relatives, kinship;" thus also, "homeland," all with the underlying idea of "people or places well known to someone or to a group." There were spelling variations way back, but the spelling finally settled on "kith," meaning "family, relatives, kinfolk," with the broader meanings of "fellow countrymen, home region." The word's relatives in the other Germanic languages all remained somewhat more directly centered around the meaning "know," with German, for instance, having the nouns "(die) Kunde" (message, news; that is, "information made known") and "(der) Kunde" (originally, "someone known to a person, an acquaintance;" thus later, "a customer (initially, "someone who buys wares from someone on a regular basis," but later, more general in meaning). German also has the noun "Kundschafter," "a reconnaissance person or scout;" that is, "one who gets knowledge of others or of places." Low German has the noun "Künn" meaning "knowledge."