Morrocan Potato Cakes Maakouda Batata Food

MAAKOUDA BATATA: MOROCCAN POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Gather the peeled potatoes.
• Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with salted water and boil just until a sharp knife can be inserted halfway through.
• Drain the potatoes and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again, and allow to cool a bit. Chill the potatoes, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and sauté gently over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until translucent.
• Add the garlic and sauté a minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
• Grate the chilled potatoes into a mixing bowl. Gently fold in the onion and garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, pepper, turmeric, and cilantro. Stir in enough of the eggs to bind the potatoes but not so much that there is excess egg in the bottom of the bowl.
• Shape the potato mixture into cakes about 3 inches in diameter. Wet hands will make the mixture easier to handle.
• Heat enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of a skillet or griddle. Add the potato cakes and cook slowly over medium heat, about about 8 minutes per side, or until deep golden-brown and crisp. Serve the maakouda warm.

MOROCCAN STREET POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Mix all but flour and oil together in a large bowl.
• Form 16 patties using 1/4 cup of the mix to about 1/3 inch thick. Use floured hands if necessary.
• Coat each patty with the flour, hitting to knock off any excess of flour.
• Shallow fry in vegetable oil on medium to medium high heat until deep golden brown.
• If you need to, you can refrigerate the floured patties to cook off an hour or so later or for ease in handling if you have difficulty. I have not found the need to do either.
• These are a simple cake and not meant to be fancy; just really tasty. You can also replace the scallions with onions if you have no scallions. In Morocco and The Maghreb, we use what we have and don't worry about what we don't have. Fresh garlic is the best alternative you can use though as we don't have dried powdered here.

MOROCCAN MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Place the potatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until tender and can be pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and cook until translucent and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
• Drain water from the potatoes, and mash. Stir in the onion, and continue mashing. Mix in the turmeric, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, or amount desired to make the potatoes more or less creamy.