Roasted Harissa Chicken over Scalloped Potatoes

I am in love with the idea of a sheet pan dinner. Harissa is another love. In other words, I had high expectations for this dish. Thankfully, it was a fabulous meal. In my house, a fighting-over-the-leftovers meal! 😉

This recipe was adapted from Grace Parisi, via Today Food. I left the skin on the potatoes and uniformly sliced them using a mandolin. I increased the garlic and used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and legs instead of bone-in, adjusting the cooking time accordingly.

We ate it with roasted pearl onions and zucchini as well as sautéed Swiss chard and beet greens with garlic and onions. Roasted acorn squash too. It would have been just as perfect with a green salad on the side. Wonderful.

I’m sharing this (almost) one-pan dish at Angie’s Fiesta Friday #139 this week, co-hosted by Antonia @ Zoale and Sandhya @ Indfused. Happy Weekend! Enjoy!

Yield: Serves 6

• 2 pounds Yukon gold or Idaho potatoes, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons harissa
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cloves garlic
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and/or legs (about 2 pounds)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°, preferably on convection roast.
2. Line the bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with parchment.
3. Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes 1/8-inch thick.
4. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with the salt and pepper.
5. Arrange in an overlapping layer on the parchment. Place potatoes in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
6. In the same bowl, combine the harissa, cumin, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
7. Arrange the chicken on a cutting board and make 2 partial slices in the top of each piece.
8. Add the chicken to the bowl and rub with the harissa mixture, being sure to rub some into the cuts.
9. Remove the potatoes from the oven and arrange the chicken over the top.
10. Roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 165° on an instant–read thermometer.  Serve with a green salad or vegetables, as desired.

One Year Ago:

• Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma
• Za’atar Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Two Years Ago:

• Mustard Chicken with Shallots
• Almond-Crusted Pork Scallopini with Apples & Arugula

Three Years Ago:

• Ottolenghi’s Chicken with Caramelized Onions & Cinnamon-Cardamom Rice

Caramelized Leek & Potato Soup

This is not the typical potato-leek soup. The leek to potato ratio is doubled in this recipe, making it much sweeter as a result. It is also served chunky. It tasted like a combination of French onion soup (with all of the caramelized leeks) and scalloped potatoes (with all of the thinly sliced potatoes).

This recipe was adapted from the New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. (I love her!) I incorporated some frozen leeks and turkey stock. I also increased the amount of garlic and potatoes and modified the garnish. I increased the cooking time to allow the leeks to be fully caramelized prior to adding the additional ingredients as well.

Although not necessary, before serving, we added a dollop of sour cream (my husband) and Greek yogurt (me!) to the soup to add a little bit of richness. It would be wonderful with a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream as well. We ate it with warm bread and green salad on the side. SO hearty and tasty!

• 1 ½ pounds fresh leeks (about 6) white and light green part only
• 1 pound frozen leeks, thawed, picked over, and thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 large sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 4 large sprigs fresh sage
• 4 large sprigs parsley, and chopped leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4-5 large garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 8 cups vegetable stock or water (I incorporated 4 cups of Turkey Stock)
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt, more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, halved and thinly sliced (I used baby gold potatoes)
• heavy cream, sour cream, or Greek yogurt, for serving, optional

1. Halve the fresh leeks lengthwise and thinly slice the leeks crosswise. Place in a large bowl and cover with water. Swish to remove the grit. Using a slotted spoon, scoop leeks out from the top of the bowl removing as much water as possible.
2. In a small square of cheesecloth, tie together bay leaves, thyme, sage, parsley and celery leaves if using.
3. Melt the butter into the oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft and dark golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in the garlic for the last 3 minutes of cooking.
4. Stir in stock and/or water, the sachet of herbs, the salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce immediately to medium-low; simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes and simmer soup until potatoes are very tender and falling apart, about 45 minutes.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning.
8. If desired, dollop sour cream or yogurt on top or drizzle a small amount of cream into each bowl when serving. Top with parsley or thyme for garnish.

I’m bringing this to share with my friends at Angie’s Fiesta Friday #108 this week hosted by Suzanne @ A Pug in the Kitchen and Zeba @ Food for the Soul. Come join the fun! 🙂

One Year Ago:

• Spinach-Potato Soup

Two Years Ago:

• Red Onion Soup with Gruyère Toasts

Three Years Ago:

• Spicy Lentil Chili
• Hungarian Lentil Stew

If you like this you may also like:

• Baked Potato & Leek Soup with Cheddar & Bacon
• Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Arugula & Creme Fraiche

Classic Potato Gratin

I think that this is all my son ate during our Thanksgiving Feast! (BOTH days…) I loved that the russet potatoes were left unpeeled. 🙂 Not only did it make the dish easier to prepare, the presentation was prettier and it was more healthy too! Well, at least it had more vitamins….

This recipe is from Bon Appetit, contributed by Claire Saffitz. I set the mandolin to 1/8″ to slice the potatoes. Starchy side dish perfection. 🙂

Yield: Serves 12

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and divided
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered through root ends
• 2½ cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, plus more
• 4 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed, very thinly sliced on a mandolin
• 3 ounces Gruyère, finely grated
• 1 ounce Parmesan, finely grated

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Cut 1 garlic clove in half and rub the inside of a 3-qt. shallow baking dish with cut sides. Smear butter all over inside of dish.
3. Bring shallots, cream, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp. thyme, and remaining 4 garlic cloves to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat; cook until shallots and garlic are very soft, 15–20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender; blend until smooth. (I used a Vitamix.)
4. Arrange potato slices in prepared dish, fanning out a handful at a time and placing in dish at an angle (this ensures every scoop will have tender potatoes from the bottom and crisp edges from the top). Shingle as you work until bottom of dish is covered. Tuck smaller slices into any gaps to fill.
5. Pour cream mixture over potatoes and cover dish tightly with foil. Bake potatoes until tender and creamy, 60–75 minutes. Let cool.
6. Place rack in highest position; heat broiler. Remove foil and top potatoes with Gruyère and Parmesan. Broil until cheese is bubbling and top of gratin is golden brown, 5–10 minutes. Serve topped with more thyme leaves, if desired.

Note: Gratin can be baked 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before broiling.

One Year Ago:

• Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Two Years Ago:

• Olive-Oil Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Sage

Three Years Ago:

• Mashed Golden Earthworm Organic Farm Potatoes