Crispy Potatoes With Smoked-Paprika Salt Recipe
A side dish with spice
Jody Adams's new restaurant, Trade, is housed in both a historic and new place of trade: an old wharf building and Boston's financial district. But the principal influence on the restaurant's name lies within the menu, which was inspired by trading ideas gathered during travel. In this potato dish, executive chef Andrew Hebert's travel muse is chermoula, a traditional Moroccan herb-and-paprika-spiced sauce. Hebert appropriated the flavors of the classic wet rub and turned them into a dried spice blend before sprinkling the pungent flavoring over crisp potatoes. The result is a tasty homage to chermoula–interpreted in a fresh way.
Recipe adapted from Jody Adams and Andrew Hebert , Trade, Boston, MA
Crispy Potatoes with Smoked-Paprika Salt
In this potato dish, executive chef Andrew Hebert's travel muse is chermoula, a traditional Moroccan herb-and-paprika-spiced sauce.
Ingredients
- Smoked-Paprika Salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- Potatoes
- 1 pound small waxy potatoes (fingerlings, red bliss or baby Yukon Golds), cleaned and dried
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
Directions
- Make the paprika salt: In a small skillet set over medium heat, combine the cumin and coriander seeds and toast, tossing constantly until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the paprika and ginger; set aside to cool. Once the spices are cool, grind them in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Combine with the salt and set aside.
- Make the potatoes: In a small saucepan, add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by half an inch. Add the salt and bay leaf and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the water and set aside to cool.
- Using the heel of your hand, press down gently on each potato to flatten slightly, taking care to keep them in one piece.
- In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the canola oil. Add the pressed potatoes and sear both sides for 3 minutes, until they are golden brown and crisp.
- Season the hot potatoes with the spice mix and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves on top and serve immediately.