Egyptian Sanyet el Batates

September 09, 2019

Egyptian Sanyet el Batates

Welcome back to Baking Bloggers and Improv Cooking Challenge for our September Challenges. I got really lucky that I could double up on this one, for Baking bloggers we baked something with Potatoes and for Improv Cooking Challenge we were asked to create something with Potatoes and Coriander. I went through quite a few ideas before settling on this delicious Egyptian recipe that my family, once again, gobbled up for dinner.

This recipe from Scarf Gal Food an Egyptian Food Blog, is something she describes as a dish for home cooks, not something you will see on the menu at many Egyptian restaurants. Which is a shame, it's delicious.

For the liquid in the recipe, the first time I made it and the one in the pictures I used I had some homemade chicken stock on hand and it worked perfectly. The second time I did not and used bouillon and while the taste was delicious, it didn't reduce and caramelize and was more sauce like. It was still amazing, but slightly different. I also added chicken the second time for a 1 pot meal and have included those directions at the end of the post.

1/4 c. olive oil
8 medium yellow potatoes, sliced 1/4 thick
2 onions, slices
2 roma tomatoes, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp. hot paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/16 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. coriander
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Pre-heat the oven to 375*.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking for 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium high again and add the tomato paste, saute the tomato paste for 2 - 3 minutes to get rid of the metallic taste

Add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes, until the potatoes are coated with the tomato and onion mix. Add the broth, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated and the potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Top with the fresh cilantro and serve.

To make it a complete dinner: Start with 1.5 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast. Cut in to strips and season with salt and pepper to taste. Before starting with any part of the recipe above sear the chicken on both sides in some olive oil and remove from the pan, don't cook the chicken all the way through. Cover and keep warm while caramelizing the onions and continue with the recipe as written above.

After you add the broth arrange the chicken on the top of the pan while you bring the potatoes to a boil. Place in the oven and continue again as written above. The chicken will finish cooking while the potatoes cook.