When I first learned about roasted potatoes, I made a lot of them. It was right at the beginning of my falling in love with cooking. I must have seen it on the Food Network, which was the only channel I watched at that time. I would make rosemary roasted potatoes, but with dried rosemary which never really gets soft, so you end up picking rosemary twigs out of your mouth as you eat your roasted potatoes. Not great. While I no longer use (or even purchase) dried rosemary, my love for roasted potatoes lives on. And today I’m sharing a fun and flavorful recipe for Crispy Harissa Roasted Potatoes to show you how my potato roasting has evolved.
What is Harissa
Harissa is a Moroccan red pepper sauce. It typically contains chilis, bell pepper, olive oil and garlic as well as a variety of spices. Its a great way to add flavor to dishes without needing a lot of different ingredients like in these other EP recipes that feature harissa.
Its spicy from chilis, but not as spicy hot sauce. I prefer medium spicy and I love Harissa. I love that its not only spicy, but has a lot of flavor, where hot sauce tends to be flat. This is thanks to the bell pepper, garlic and other spices that are typically in harissa.
For this recipe, I used this Mina brand of Harissa. I like it because its flavorful and fresh. You can use it as a sauce or even as a dip! There are a lot of harissa brands out there. Just try to get one that is more of a fresh sauce and less of a paste for this recipe. Even Trader Joes has a good one!
Yukon Gold Potatoes
I generally prefer Yukon Gold potatoes over russet potatoes. They mash creamier, the inside is nice and pillowy when roasted, and I love the flavor of them. I haven’t tried russet potatoes or red potatoes in this recipe, but I’m sure they would both work with nearly identical results. Side note- I just found out that Yukon Gold Potatoes weren’t even a thing until 1980!
These Crispy Harissa Roasted Potatoes are incredibly flavorful and best of all only require 3 ingredients and minimal prep! They are currently a weekly thing in my house. If these crispy + delicious potatoes don’t break into your weeknight rotation, I don’t know what will.
Crispy Harissa Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp Harissa Like the brand Mina, pictured above
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt Less if using iodized or fine grain salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425* F
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to coat the potatoes evenly in harissa and oil.
- Transfer potatoes to an unlined baking tray and spread them out into an even layer.
- Bake in a 425* oven for 15 minutes, then turn the pan, without stirring to potatoes and continue baking for another 15 minutes. After the second 15 minutes, stir the potatoes (using a spatula will help get any of the stuck ones) and place back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are nicely browned and tender.
- Serve warm.
Let me know how you like this recipe!
