Deep fried potato cakes in a baguette with lettuce and harissa ketchup

Maakouda

Name: Maakouda
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 450 g cold leftover potatoes, waxy variety if possible (see Shelina’s tips); 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp paprika; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves

A take on a Moroccan street food classic, Shelina Permalloo makes maakouda – deep fried potato cakes served in a crispy baguette with harissa ketchup.

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Serves4
CourseLunch
Prepare15 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time30 mins

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Ingredients

For the filling

450g cold leftover potatoes, waxy variety if possible (see Shelina’s tips)
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves

For the batter & to fry

150g Essential Self-Raising Flour
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 L Vegetable oil

To serve

1 large baguette, cut into 4, or 4 small baguettes, split lengthways
½ Essential Curly Lettuce, leaves separated
6 tbsp Belazu Harissa Tomato Ketchup, or more to taste

Method

Mash the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients, season, then mix well. Set 1 tsp aside for later (see Shelina’s tips) then take a spoon or ice cream scoop and measure and roll into 12 equal-sized balls. Flatten each ball into a patty and set aside on a tray.
To make the batter, put the flour, paprika, turmeric and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and mix well with a balloon whisk. Make a well in the middle of the flour, then gradually whisk in 250ml warm water, to make a thin pancake-type batter. Go slowly with the water at the start, as it’s easier to beat out lumps while it is still thick.
Pour the oil into a large, deep saucepan and set it over a medium heat. It’s ready for cooking when the oil reaches 180°C on a kitchen thermometer – or test it with some of the potato mixture (see Shelina’s tips). Dip the potato discs into the batter 1 at a time, let the excess batter drip off, then place carefully into the pan. Fry 4 discs at a time, until deep golden on the outside and piping hot in the middle, for around 3-4 minutes.
Lift from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on a baking tray or plate, lined with kitchen paper. Keep warm in a low oven, if liked. Serve 3 patties crushed into each baguette, then add the lettuce and slather with harissa ketchup.

Cook’s tip

A more waxy type of potatoes (such as Waitrose Red potatoes, or Charlotte) works best for this recipe, but if you have leftover mash made from a more floury type, they will still be delicious.

More leftover cooked vegetables? Chop them and mix into the spiced potato mix.

The potato filling can be made, covered and chilled for up to 24 hours before making the batter and frying.

When deep frying, always choose a large, heavy pan. It must be no more than ⅔ full with oil, as the oil will rise up in the pan as the food is added.

To test if the oil is hot enough without using a thermometer, simply drop a little of the potato mix into the oil. If it gently bubbles and rises to the surface, it is ready. If it colours too quickly or starts smoking, then the temperature is too hot. If it sinks to the bottom of the pan, it’s not hot enough.

If you have any leftover batter, use it to coat and fry vegetables, much like tempura.