serves
4
prep
30 minutes
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 kg starchy potatoes (such as King Edward)
- 80 g (½ cup) blanched almonds
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil, plus extra, to serve
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 4 mint sprigs, plus extra mint leaves, to garnish
- Lebanese bread, to serve
Serves 4 as part of a mezza spread
In order to get the right consistency, don’t use waxy potatoes and avoid the temptation to mash them, or put them in a food processor.
Instructions
Place potatoes in a saucepan over high heat and add enough cold water to just cover. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through but skin is not broken (take care not to overcook them). Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove skin, then push potatoes through a potato ricer or a fine sieve into a large bowl. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, place almonds in a small food processor and process until coarsely ground. Place a frying pan over medium heat, add almonds and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
Place onion and mint in a small food processor and process to a very smooth paste. (If the bowl of your processor is too big for this amount, you can add one boiled potato.)
Add the toasted ground almonds, 2 tbsp of the onion mixture, olive oil and 2 tsp salt to the potatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with mint leaves. Serve with Lebanese bread.
Photography Mark Roper
As seen in Feast magazine, November 2013, Issue 26. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers .
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
