What is Harissa Sauce?
What I love about this recipe
Serve the Harissa Roasted Sweet Potato Hash for dinner alongside your main course or for breakfast- topped with soft poached eggs and flavorful Merguez Sausages. The combination of this unique sausage, harissa roasted sweet potatoes, and soft poached eggs, is a marriage made in heaven.
Merguez sausages, if new to you, are North African Sausages, traditionally made with lamb ( or beef and lamb) originating from the Middle East. The sausage is often seasoned cumin and coriander, and harissa – and some are spicier than others.
You can always leave it out if you are vegetarian, use soy chorizo, or substitute regular or Spanish chorizo.
Make the Harissa Sauce
I prefer to use mostly mild to med chilies and just one or two hot ones. Often I will add a smoked chili or two – like chipotles packed in adobo sauce for added depth, smokiness and layers of flavor. The more variety, the more dimensions to the paste.
Make sure to toast your spices to add layers of flavor. Traditionally, the three spices of harissa are cumin, coriander and caraway seeds.
But I encourage you to be playful. Listen to what draws you… and create your own version. Sometimes I’ll add cinnamon, smoked paprika or even a little clove, deepening on what I’m using it on. Often I’ll add fresh herbs…. like cilantro or parsley.
Bring dried chilies to a boil in a large pot of water. Turn heat off, cover and let soak for 1 hour or even overnight.
Remove the seeds and stems.
Grind your spices and place in a food processor. Add garlic, salt, chili peppers, olive oil and lemon juice.
This recipe makes a cup and a half of harissa paste.
Make the Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Taste for salt. As all harissas are different, you may need to add more salt.
When the roasted sweet potatoes come out, they are crisp, tender and flavorful.
Prepare the Merguez Sausage
If you use Merguez sausages, cut and brown them in a skillet, adding onions if you like. Toss with the Harissa Sweet potatoes, making a bed for the poached eggs.
Poach the Eggs
You can also cook them sunny side up.
Place the eggs on top of the harissa sweet potatoes and serve with cilantro and harissa on the side.
More recipes you may like:
Enjoy the Sweet Potato Hash and let us know what youthink in the comments below!
xoxo
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Sweet Potato Hash with Harissa
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: Breakfast, Eggs, gluten-free
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Description
Sweet Potato Hash with Harissa Paste and Eggs, a delicious, North-African inspired, one-skillet breakfast that is bursting with flavor! Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 medium yams or sweet potatoes ( or 6 cups 1/2 inch diced)
- 3-5 tablespoons Harissa paste ( see recipe below, or use store bought)
- Salt and pepper to taste ---------
- 6 eggs- poached or fried sunny side up
- 2-3 Merguez sausages (or sub chorizo, or soy chorizo)
- 1/2 onion, sliced (optional)
- Fresh Cilantro leaves
- 4 oz dried chilies - (an assortment mild, med, hot, smoked)
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ( optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Scrub and dice yams or sweet potatoes (leave the skin on) into small, uniform ½ inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss with a few tablespoons Harissa paste. ( Each harissa is different, so taste as you add). My version is mild so I add quite a bit…5-6 tablespoons. Store-bought will be spicier so add to taste. If very spicy, dilute with olive oil. Make sure sweet potatoes are coated well. Salt and pepper to taste. If using store-bought harissa, check that it contains some oil. If not, make sure to add a little oil when tossing – so the potatoes crisp up in the oven.
- Place potatoes on a parchment liked baking sheet, making sure they are not too crowded…this will allow them to crisp, rather than steam. Stir after 15 minutes. Check again after 10 minutes. Roast until crisp and tender.
- While roasting, slice and brown Merguez sausage in a skillet with a little olive oil. Saute some onions along with them if you like.
- Poach your eggs, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Remove the sweet potato hash from the oven, and fold into the skillet along with the sausage and onions, and mix.
- Gently place eggs over top, garnishing with fresh cilantro and if you like, more harissa.
- Serve immediately!
To make Harissa Paste:
- Bring chilies to a boil in a large pot of water, turn heat off, cover, let sit 1 hour or overnight. Toast spices and grind them
- When rehydrated, remove seeds and stems. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.
- To store, place in a sealable jar and drizzle olive oil over top after each use, to preserve. It will last 1-2 months in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup hash and 1 egg
- Calories: 486
- Sugar: 8.7 g
- Sodium: 1389.8 mg
- Fat: 28.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.9 g
- Fiber: 4.3 g
- Protein: 24.8 g
- Cholesterol: 535.9 mg
Crazy good combination of flavors! Thanks for coming up with an inventive way for me to use the merguez I often have in my freezer – buying from a local lamb rancher when she has it at market – and am always looking for new ways to use. This time i used a relatively mild harissa I had on hand and open in the fridge. But the harissa portion of this recipe is for sure on my “to try’ list soon. I so appreciate the creativity of your recipes, their reliability in outcomes and the great photos and instructions.
Mmm this is yummy. Top marks for this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
The first paragraph of this post had me sold. I love poached eggs over hash, and this hash sounds incredible! I’ve never made harissa but will definitely be giving that a try as well.
Thanks a lot for your inspiration! This looks amazing!
Looks amazing! thanks for the inspiration!
We must be on the same wavelength because I just made homemade harissa for the first time last night! Totally different from storebought. I dont’ think I’ll ever go back. I served mine over hummus inspired chickpea pancakes and a chopped salad.