Can’t please everyone I suppose. I first tasted this combination — potatoes with green harissa — at a potluck a few weeks ago, and I’ve been making it ever since. What I love about the harissa is its adaptability: I’ve made it with mint and cilantro, mint and thai basil, basil alone, etc. I’ve used lemon, lime, vinegar. I’ve used a whole jalapeno. I’ve made it without a chili all together. Sometimes I use cumin, sometimes I don’t. It doesn’t matter. The upshot of puréeing herbs with garlic, olive oil and some sort of acid is a sharp, vibrant sauce fit for dressing up any boiled root vegetable, uniting disparate ingredients in a grain bowl, or drizzling over roast chicken or grilled fish. Essentially, this harissa is a spicy, cheese- and nut-free pesto, a sauce to have on hand all summer long. PS: More Salads & Sides Into the food processor: a ton of basil, one halved jalapeno, two cloves garlic, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar and a pinch of salt: 5 from 1 review Notes: Use this recipe as a guide. Use any herb or combination of herbs: mint, cilantro, parsley, thai basil, basil, etc. I use a whole jalapeno, but seed the chili if you are sensitive to heat. I often use vinegar in place of lemon, mostly out of laziness. Recently I have been omitting the cumin, but it does add a nice smokiness if you like that sort of flavor. As for the potatoes, this is the method I learned many years ago while working at Fork. This method only really works with small potatoes such as new or fingerlings. If you are using larger potatoes, boil the potatoes for a few minutes before turning off the heat. Once the potatoes are cool, you can eat the them as they are or you can crisp them up in olive oil with more thyme and rosemary. These potatoes are wonderful to have on hand — delicious cooked as they are, sliced and tossed into salads or as they are prepared here tossed in a spicy, green sauce.
