Harissa and Za’atar Potato Galette

I am a huge proponent of Thanksgiving sides, because that is the most interesting for me as a vegetarian. Don’t judge me, I love potatoes but I am not a fan of mashed potatoes. I don’t really like that texture and it feels like baby food to me.

Potatoes are BIG in my family. We all LOVE potatoes, especially my teen girl. As I was thinking of fun Thanksgiving sides, I came up with this Harissa and Za’atar Potato Galette. Savory galettes are fun to make and fun to eat. They make a great dinner option as well along with a side salad.

Key ingredients of this Harissa and Za’atar Potato Galette Dough

The key ingredients of the galette dough are:

• All purpose flour: I have not tried gluten free or whole wheat flour. I use Central Milling flour company for all purpose flour.
• Za’atar: Za’atar is a spice blend composed of herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram or a combination of the three, along with other spices including sesame, sumac, cumin or coriander. It is super flavorful and I use NY Shuk as the brand of choice.
• Salt and pepper: Always a must in savory galettes. I use table salt, because I feel food needs to be salted properly and table salt does that for me.
• Butter: Always unsalted. I use cold butter, because it forms pebbles in the dough and when rolled and baked, it melts and puffs up to create the flakey layers. This galette dough is very flakey and delicious!
• Ice cold water: It is pertinent that the water is ice cold, to keep the dough cold and hydrated.

To make the galette dough, and to break the butter into pea sized pieces, I use a pastry blender that is an essential tool in my kitchen.  it is important not to overmix the dough, else it will be tough and you will not get the flakey layers. Even if there is some dry mixture it is OK, you can massage the dough once it is covered in plastic wrap.

The potatoes that I use are small gold potatoes that I got from Trader Joe’s. The harissa paste that I use is also from NY Shuk, and is absolutely wonderful! I use it with eggs, or in my falafel pita pockets or in sandwiches! We love it.

How to prepare the potatoes for the galette?

1. Use a mandolin for even slices. They should not be too thick or too thin. I sliced them on setting 2 of my mandolin.
2. You have to use kitchen towels or paper towels to soak up the moisture in the potato slices. I lay them flat on a kitchen towel and place another one on the top and dab it gently to absorb the moisture.
3. Coat the potatoes in a mixture of olive oil and spices like sumac, za’atar and garlic powder, salt and pepper ofcourse.
4. Lay them in a concentric circle on top of the cheese, overlapping slightly to form a pretty pattern. I repeat the circles as we go towards the center of the galette to form a pretty flower pattern.

The cheese of choice is fontina and gruyere. If you prefer another cheese, feel free to try another kind. Cover the galette with pecorino romano cheese, to give it that extra flavor on the top.

I bake it at 425 degrees for around 40 to 45 minutes, until it is golden brown in color and the edges of the potatoes are a dark brown, almost caramelized in color.

Best way to serve the Harissa and Za’atar Potato Galette

I serve the galette with a harissa mayo that goes perfectly well with it. I also serve a side salad of arugula, with in season sliced persimmon and pomegranate arils. The dressing for the arugula salad is a simple salad of red wine vinegar, tahini, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper.

The other Thanksgiving sides on my website that are great for the holiday are:

• Fall Panzanella
• Garam Masala Root Vegetable Gratin
• Indian Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Leek and Fontina Tart
• Baingan Bharta with Herby Yogurt Dip
• Butternut Squash, Mushroom and Fontina Pasta Bake

If you do make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.

XO
Amisha

Harissa and Za’atar Potato Galette

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• Amisha Gurbani
• 4-6 1x

This EPIC Harissa and Za’atar Potato Galette is a MUST on the Thanksgiving table.  I use small gold potatoes that are evenly sliced on a mandolin. The potatoes get elevated flavors of za’,atar, garlic powder and sumac, making them herby and tangy. Harissa paste is applied onto the rolled dough, add fontina/gruyere cheeses on the top, and zhoosh up the potatoes by placing them in a concentric circle to form a pretty pattern. The galette is baked until golden brown in color. Cut and serve with a beautiful side salad of arugula with seasonal produce! Serve with a harissa mayo.

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Harissa Mayo:

• 3/4 cup kewpie mayo
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 ½ tablespoons harissa

Galette Dough:

• 2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour + additional flour for rolling the galette
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 2 teaspoons za’atar
• 1 ½ sticks, unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8 tablespoons iced water (2 tablespoons more if required)
• 8 to 9 small gold potatoes, sliced into ⅛ inch thick slices (using a mandolin preferred)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 ½ teaspoons za’atar
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons harissa (I use Nyshuk Harissa)
• ½ cup, heaped and grated fontina
• ½ cup, heaped and grated gruyere
• ½ cup, heaped and finely grated pecorino romano or parmesan
• 1 egg wash(1 egg and 1 tablespoon water/milk whisked together till smooth)

Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

Get Recipe Ingredients

Harissa Mayo:

1. Add the ingredients into a small bowl and mix until well combined. 

Galette Dough:

1. Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, za’atar and whisk until combined.
2. Add the butter and using a pastry blender, mix until the butter is partially broken up but still chunky, like pea sized.
3. Add 8 tablespoons of the ice water, and bind the dough with the pastry blender or with your hands until the dough is uniformly moist, and holds together when pinched. If it seems too dry, add 2 more tablespoons of ice water. Do not overwork the dough.
4. Gather the dough with your hands, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes, or until ready to roll out.

Savory Galette:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Lay the sliced potatoes sequentially onto a kitchen towel, not overlapping each other. Cover with another kitchen towel and dab it lightly. Leave it for 15 minutes. You want to remove all the excess moisture from the potato slices.
3. In a medium to large bowl, add the olive oil, salt, pepper, sumac, za’atar, garlic powder and mix to combine. Add the potatoes and mix them using a rubber spatula until well coated. 
4. Using extra flour as required, roll out the dough on a flat working surface, into an even circle about 12 inches wide. With the help of the rolling pin, roll the dough around the pin, and then quickly place it on the baking sheet with parchment paper and roll it to open up the dough.
5. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the harissa paste in the center of the circle, leaving a 2 inch border to wrap the galette. 
6. Add the grated cheeses on top of the harissa and spread it evenly. 
7. Place the potato slices on top of the cheese, in a concentric circle, overlapping each other slightly, until you reach the center of the galette, such that the slices cover up all the cheese.
8. Fold the galette dough on top of the outer layer of the potato slices. Repeat the folding to overlap the previous fold slightly and continue until the entire galette is folded. It should form a perfect circle. 
9. Sprinkle the pecorino romano all over the galette as well as the outer dough.
10. Brush the egg wash over the galette dough. 
11. Place the baking sheet in the lowest rack of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown in color. Remove your galette gently from the oven and let it cool slightly for 10 minutes. Garnish the galette with the parsley. Then slice and it is ready to eat with a side salad and the sauce drizzled on top of it.