In the Middle East, fried potatoes in different shapes and forms are consumed regularly. Whether as french fries served alongside burgers in fast food restaurants, or as homemade potato chips, Middle Easterners really enjoy potatoes and incorporate a lot of fried potatoes in their meals. We’ve come up with dukkah seasoned fried potatoes, a spin on both french fries and battata harra, a great side dish served in many Lebanese restaurants. 

Battata harra is made of potato wedges spiced with chilli pepper, fresh coriander and fresh parsley. It’s amazing how the combination of a few basic ingredients and spices yields an incredibly complex and rich flavor. Coriander is really a magical spice. Used in many dishes across the Middle East either in the form of fresh coriander leaves or as a dry spice, it adds heft to so many dishes such as stews, soups and tagines. To put it on fried potatoes was simply a genius move by the inventor of battata harra! 

We like to think putting Dukkan’s Egyptian Dukkah on fried potatoes is also a smart move. Dukkah is a combination of pounded roasted nuts and spices. Dukkan’s Egyptian Dukkah includes roasted almonds and hazelnuts along with fennel, cumin and sesame, in addition to the gold dust that is crushed coriander seeds. All together on fried potato wedges, we feel that this dish is going to make you experience potatoes like you never have before. 

So long as you have a small dose of patience to make your potato wedges from scratch at home, you’ll come away wondering whether you can ever eat your potatoes any other way again. Dukkah is a crowd-pleaser, even amongst children in Egypt. Although dukkah is usually eaten as a dip with some pita bread, it’s hard to find an ingredient or dish that doesn’t become exponentially better with a dash or two of Dukkan Egyptian Dukkah. 

This recipe works well as a mezze, appetiser, or as a side dish with chicken or grilled meat for lunch, or as a snack while watching the game. It can also be served with a side of labneh if you want to round it out and make it a more substantial meal- just don’t forget to sprinkle a little dukkah on your labneh as well! If you would like to fry this, use a good quality canola oil, otherwise you can make it lighter by placing potato wedges on a baking sheet, and popping them into the oven.