Harissa-roasted potato salad with black lentils, silverbeet & coriander dressing
SERVES 6-8 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES / COOKING 30-35 MINUTES
Puy-style lentils can be used in place of black (beluga) if preferred. Any silverbeet or even spinach can be used here – I used rainbow chard as that’s what’s growing in my garden at the moment and I’m a sucker for the little pops of colour it adds, too. I used a pre-prepared harissa paste sold in tubes at speciality food stores, however you can make your own if you have time. If yours is more of a mellow red capsicum-based one, you could use double what I have used here. Adjust the amount depending on the brand you use and your own personal heat tolerance.
1.5kg baby potatoes, larger ones cut in half
1-2 tablespoons harissa
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup black (beluga) lentils
1 small bunch silverbeet (I used rainbow chard), washed well
and roughly chopped, stems and leaves kept separate ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
FOR THE CORIANDER DRESSING
1 bunch coriander, leaves and tender stems,
roughly chopped
1 long green chilli, de-seeded and roughly chopped 1 clove garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200℃. Place the potatoes into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the harissa and olive oil, then drizzle over the potatoes, season well with salt and pepper and mix well to evenly coat each potato with harissa. Transfer to a large oven tray and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
Rinse the lentils, put into a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of cold water, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine the dressing ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend on high until smooth and vivid green. Taste and season with fine sea salt.
Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and quickly fry the silverbeet stalks for a minute or two before adding the leaves and cooking until wilted. Season with a pinch of salt, then remove from the heat.
To serve, pile the harissa-roasted potatoes, cooked black lentils and the wilted silverbeet into a large serving bowl. Scatter with the toasted pumpkin seeds and drizzle generously with coriander dressing.