Morrocan Potato Tajine

The Tajine before you is a traditional Morrocan potato dish, with a few extra spices. A Tajine is a dish you can get creative with, though. You may add meat or any kind of vegetable. Cauliflower is one of my favorite additions to this recipe. Just make sure to add enough water to keep it nice and saucy - in Morroco, it is served with bread to dip in the sauce. I don't like bread with this particular Tajine - too starchy! - but I love it with the preceeding Morrocan Mini Meatloaves.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
4 medium yellow potatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. turmeric or saffron (or both)
2 bay leaves
1/4 lemon
1/2 c. chopped parsley

In a large soup pan (with lid!), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, cumin, paprika and ginger to the pan and stir until spices and oil are evenly distrubuted on the onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, while stirring occassionally, until the oil is evenly colored by the spices and the onions begin to turn clear. Add the tomato and stir to cover the tomatoes in the spiced oil. Cover and let cook for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well to combine, and add 1 1/2 c. water. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, until potatoes cut easily with the side of a fork. Check it every now and then to make sure their is adequate water. Otherwise, the potatoes will stick to the pan and you will have a sauceless Tajine! Once the potatoes are cooked, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and allow the Tajine to sit for about 15 minutes. This allows the sauce to thicken and the flavors to marry. If you can handle waiting, make the Tajine a day yearly and let it sit in the fridge overnight before serving. The flavor is incredible! Remove the bay leaves and the lemon wedge before serving.



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