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Mourad’s Djemaa el F’na Potato and Egg Sandwich

(recipe, Adam Ried)


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Introduction

Mourad Lahlou, the author of [%amazonProductLink asin=1579654290 "Mourad New Moroccan" newpage=true] — from which this recipe is adapted — encountered this sandwich in the sweeping main plaza of Marrakesh, which becomes a sea of food stalls and grills at twilight each night. I was there, too, but I spent my time dodging the snake charmers (major phobia here, even though I know that precautions are taken) and sampling harira, brochettes, steamed snails, and all manner of honey-soaked sweets. If I’d seen this sandwich in my wanderings, I’d have sampled it, too. Cheesewise — that’s a word, right? — Lahlou recommends either Laughing Cow or cream cheese. I like something a little more flavorful but still mild, such as havarti, fontina, or Monterey Jack. I’ve also been known to add some grated carrot for sweetness and/or lettuce, arugula, or baby spinach for freshness and texture, and to replace the cheese with lightly mashed, olive-oil-packed sardines or tuna. I think that seeded, unsliced Scali is the bread of choice here, because both the crust and the crumb are relatively soft.

Ingredients

  1. 2 lengths (each about 5 inches long) seeded Scali bread, from 1 large, unsliced loaf (about 12 inches long)
  2. 6 Tbsp. harissa, preferably homemade
  3. 4 oz. havarti, fontina, or Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
  4. 2 small Yukon gold potatoes (about 5 ounces each), boiled until tender, still warm and thinly sliced
  5. 1 Tbsp. white-wine vinegar
  6. Salt and pepper
  7. 3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, still warm and thinly sliced

Steps

  1. Halve the bread pieces lengthwise, through their equators. Lay the halves crust sides down on the work surface, and spread about 1½ Tbsp. harissa evenly on each piece. On the bottom halves, evenly arrange half the cheese and half the potato slices, and sprinkle about 1½ tsp. vinegar evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange half the egg slices over the potatoes on each sandwich and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top each with one of the top bread halves, press lightly to gently compact the sandwich, slice in half if desired, and serve.