Spicy batata harra is one of the most delicious potato dishes I’ve ever tasted; it’s popular as part of a meze and is great as a side dish with any meat, poultry or seafood. Traditionally the potato is deep-fried first then shallow-fried with the garlic, chilli and coriander; but I find roasting the potatoes is easier and works just as well as long as you have the oven good and hot and don’t salt them until after they’re cooked. Salt draws out moisture and stops them crisping up as much as they otherwise would. Recipes for batata harra vary with every cook, so add more or less garlic, chilli or coriander to suit your taste (or use flat-leaf parsley if you don’t like coriander). I find that a squeeze of lemon juice at the end adds an important touch of acid to balance the richness of the olive oil.
Serves 2 as a side dish
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