A traditional dish for Tunisian Jews, this is usually made by cooking the potatoes and onions in a pot of oil, then pouring the eggs in and placing the whole thing in the oven with a tray underneath to catch the oil overflow. While the original tastes gorgeous, we could not justify making it that way. We offer this lighter (no less gorgeous) version.
Fills an 18-20cm frying pan
Enough for breakfast for 4 hungry or 6 modestly hungry guests
Ingredients
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in 2cm dice (about 300g )
½ tsp + ½ tsp table salt
50g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced (about 200g )
8 eggs
100g/ml double cream
2 tsp ras el hanut spice mix
2 tbsp capers
1 small bunch of parsley, leaves picked and chopped
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Method
● Place the potatoes in a pan containing 500g/ml of water seasoned with the first half-teaspoon of salt. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain.
● Melt the butter and oil together in a good non-stick frying pan. Add the onions and fry on a medium heat until they soften entirely (this will take about 8-10 minutes). Now add the cooked diced potatoes and continue frying for a further 6-8 minutes. In the meantime whisk all the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
● Increase the heat to high and pour in the egg mixture. Allow 1 minute for the eggs to start cooking around the rim, then use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to push the mixture from the sides into the centre, all around the pan. Leave to cook for another minute, then repeat.
●Now smooth the top and reduce the heat to low.
● Cover and cook for 2 minutes, then use the lid and pan combined to flip the maakouda. l Carefully slide it back into the pan to finish cooking on a low heat for 5 minutes before transferring to a plate to serve.
● You can eat this hot, but it also keeps well for a packed lunch or picnic and is just as delicious cold.
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