Batata Mchermla, Moroccan Chermoula Potatoes
Chermoula is the green Moroccan marinade of cilantro, garlic, cumin, and paprika, and mchermla means dressed in it. Potatoes are the everyday version, simmered in the sauce until they drink it up and the liquid reduces to a cling. Cooking the potatoes directly in the chermoula, rather than dressing them after, is the whole point: they take the flavor into the flesh instead of wearing it on the outside. Half the chermoula goes in at the start to cook down, half at the end raw for its fresh green lift. A cook in Morocco would likely add preserved lemon and olives; left out, the dish stays bright on lemon juice alone and needs no salt. Shake the pan instead of stirring so the potatoes hold their shape.
Ingredients
- 4 wholes Potatoes, about 1.5 lb (700 g), cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks
- 3/4 cup Cilantro, chopped, divided
- 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
- 1/2 cup Canned crushed tomatoes, no-salt-added
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
Method
- Make the chermoula: pound or blend half the cilantro, the parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and half the lemon with 3 tbsp water into a loose green paste. This raw herb paste is the base the whole dish is built on.
- Put the potatoes in a wide pan with half the chermoula, the crushed tomatoes, and enough water to come halfway up. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Cooking them straight in the sauce, rather than dressing them after, drives the flavor into the flesh instead of leaving it on the surface.
- Uncover for the last few minutes and let the liquid reduce to a thick cling, shaking the pan now and then. Shaking rather than stirring keeps the potatoes whole.
- Off the heat, fold through the remaining chermoula, the rest of the cilantro, and the last of the lemon. A raw hit of the herb paste at the end keeps the dish green and sharp, and the lemon seasons it in place of salt. A Moroccan cook might add preserved lemon and olives; left out, it stays bright and salt-free.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 180 calories, 4 g protein, 5 g fiber, 40 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
