I want to begin by admitting that half-way through making this dish, I was certain the final result would be a flop. I began with high hopes for this Moroccan spiced potato salad (what, with my earlier success with the mushroom and potato al forn), but soon realized that the red potatoes were falling apart (boiled too long?) — falling apart into horrible-looking clumps and shards. The few small golden potatoes were holding their shape well, but there weren’t enough of them to pull the dish together.
So, I did the only thing I could think of doing, that is, I abandoned all attempts at precision and began almost ruthlessly to mix the ingredients together as quickly as I could. I added plenty of heat, and doubled the amount of harissa suggested; then, I threw the mixture onto a baking sheet (diverging from the recipe almost completely at this point) and heated it throughout. I have found that hot food — both in temperature and in spice — can cover up many a mistake.
And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Not my best fare. But fare, after all.
And I made harissa for the first time. I need to make this again, though — with a mortar and pestle.
This salad and the harissa represent my 16th and 17th completed dishes from Moro East. Percentage complete: 10.63%