Moroccan Harissa Potatoes are air-fried to minimize fat and seasoned with a bit of delicious Moroccan spice.
Moroccan Harissa Potatoes
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
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This week’s Sunday Supper is all about root vegetables. What’s your favorite? Mine is very typical. I love potatoes, especially crispy ones.
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This recipe is one I developed some years back as an oven-fried potato recipe, just to use up some extra harissa I had sitting around in a can. But having not too long ago finally bought an air-fryer (I got the Actifry) I decided to adapt the recipe for that.
It uses very little oil. I have successfully made crisp potatoes with just a teaspoonful, which was great for weight watchers. They recommend a tablespoonful, but. Whatever. It gets crisp and does not stick.
If you don’t have an Actifry, you can still make this by tossing your potatoes with a little oil and baking them until they crisp up, turning once or twice to brown all sides. It works about the same, if not a little higher in the fats, nutritionally.
But I hope you enjoy. This is good to have with just about anything Greek, Moroccan or Middle Eastern.
And be sure to scroll down and see what other root vegetable recipes the Sunday Supper TasteMakers have been making this week.
Also, if you blog and would like to join, just pop on over to the website or join in to Sunday Supper on FaceBook, which has a lively group. We don’t bite. At least not hard.
I’d love it if you joined in time to make a recipe for the Meatball event I am hosting with SSM next week. What kind of meatballs are your favorites? Or more succinctly put: are there actually ANY meatballs you do NOT like?
So blogging with us or not, be sure to join in and check out the huge selection of recipes that are on their way.
~Sue
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Moroccan Harissa Potatoes

Moroccan Harissa Potatoes
Equipment
- Actifry (or other air fryer)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place diced potatoes into Actifry and drizzle with salt, pepper and half the oil.
- Cook potatoes in Actifry for 40 minutes, or until browned and crispy.
- Stir harissa with remaining oil, and lemon zest; toss with potatoes.
- Sprinkle potatoes with sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Root Vegetables
The Sunday Supper Tastemakers are very pleased to present:
Favorite root vegetable recipes (one of the hot trends of 2016)
Hosted by Cindy Kerschner from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Appetizers
- Chipotle Sweet Potato Chips from Momma’s Meals
- Roasted Beet Hummus from And She Cooks
- Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette from Nik Snacks
- Roasted Parsnip, Carrot and Garlic Soup from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
- Roasted Sweet Potato Soup from Magnolia Days
- Root Vegetable Soup with Herb Croutons from An Appealing Plan
- Waffled Carrot Latkes from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Breakfast
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Carrot Cake Waffles from Alida’s Kitchen
- Sweet Potato Biscuit and Sausage Gravy Skillet Bake from The Texan New Yorker
Main
- Bacon-Potato Torte from Tramplingrose
- Beef & Root Vegetable Hand Pastries from Gate to Plate
- Beet, Blue Cheese and Bacon Pizza from Caroline’s Cooking
- Beet Pesto from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Celery Root, Apple and Gorgonzola Flat Bread Pizza from Simply Healthy Family
- Hearty Stew Hand Pies from The TipToe Fairy
- Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella Salad from The Chef Next Door
- Roasted Vegetable Borscht from The Crumby Cupcakes
- Skillet Breakfast Potatoes from Life Tastes Good
- Sweet Potato Pancakes from Our Good Life
- Turnip Rutabaga and Root Veggie Beef Stew from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Wild Rice Vegetable Bake from Wholistic Woman
Sides
- Baked Potato Wedges with Parmesan and Garlic from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Beet, Greens and Goat Cheese Gratin from Monica’s Table
- Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) from Curious Cuisiniere
- Browned Butter Braised Baby Turnips from Food Lust People Love
- Carrot Ribbon and Orange Salad from Pies and Plots
- Celery Root Gratin with Horseradish Cream from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Italian Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes from La Bella Vita Cucina
- Gogoma Jorim (Korean Soy-braised Sweet Potatoes) from kimchi MOM
- Honey Dijon Roasted Carrots from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Jicama Home Fries from Casa de Crews
- Lemon Thyme Au Gratin Potatoes from Vintage Kitty
- Moroccan Harissa Potatoes from Palatable Pastime
- Roasted Balsamic Carrots from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
- Roasted Root Vegetable Farro from Cooking Chat
- Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (with make-ahead tip) from Meal Planning Magic
- Root Vegetable Mash from Feeding Big and more
- Rooty Dauphinoise from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Smashed Potatoes from Taste And See
- Smoked Sausage Potato Casserole from Kitchen Gidget
- Spicy Carrots & Potatoes from Sweet Mornings
- Sweet Potato Shoestring Fries from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Winter Salad with Fennel, Apples, Goat Cheese and Radishes from Delaware Girl Eats
Desserts
- Best Ever Carrot Cake from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake from Angels Home Sweet Homestead
- Carrot Cookies from The Freshman Cook
- Chocolate Carrot & Squash Muffins from What Smells So Good?
- Homemade Carrot Cake from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Iced Beet Cake from Beauty and the Beets
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake from Real Food Real Deals
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This looks amazing Sue! I bet it tastes just as amazing as it looks!
I like how crisp the potatoes get in the actifry. That part does amaze me!
Ok, that does it! I keep hearing wonderful things about harissa and I would love to try this recipe. It’s going on the grocery list!
I think you’ll like it! It has the texture of tomato paste, but very spicy! Lots of ideas and uses for it.
This looks like a delicious and easy weekday side dish! Thanks!
Very easy! And also translates to oven fries as I did my first version some years back on food.com
Harissa is great at adding flavor without too much effort. Yum!
Thanks Caroline! It goes well with the lemon and sesame components.
I never used an air fryer but looking at your potatoes I think I need one! Perfectly cooked!
Thanks Cindy! I am very happy I got one! Did you know you can make home fries in it with 1 tsp oil? And cut up corn tortillas make crispy slightly curled (not flat like baked one) tortilla chips in about 20 minutes?
Pass the bowl please! These sound wonderful!
Thanks, Sarah!
I think my family would agree that potatoes are their favorite root veggie! And I’m loving your spice up spuds!
Thanks, Liz!
The first time I had Harissa was in Disney world at the Moroccan plaza and I realized it was a taste I love! I can’t wait to try these potatoes!
Thanks Renee!
l don’t know about harissa, can tell me where l get it
Check the international section of your supermarket or inquire the manager to order it. Or you can also buy it online many places. Or Saveur even has a recipe if you want to make it from scratch: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Harissa
I’m so intrigued by air fryers, wish they werent so expensive!
We bought a reconditioned one through Groupon for much less and it works great. The price put me off too, was glad I could snag a bargain!
“Fried” foods on a diet? Can’t go wrong there!
I’ve never had harissa before, I’ll have to give it a try.
The air fryers are amazing and make the potatoes crispy.
We like them a lot!
What a taste! This recipe is very delicious, thank you Sue Lau!