Harissa and confit garlic roasted potatoes

• servings: Serves six to eight as a

Ingredients

2 large heads of garlic, cloves peeled (3¼ oz/90g)

½ cup plus 1½ tbsp/130g goose or duck fat

4 rosemary sprigs

6 thyme sprigs

4½ Ib/2kg yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch/5cm chunks

1 cup/40g ground semolina

2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

2 tbsp rose harissa (or 50 percent more or less, depending on variety; see page 301) flaked sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the garlic cloves in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan with a lid, with the goose fat, rosemary, and thyme. Cover and bake for 40 minutes, until the garlic cloves are soft and caramelized. Remove from the oven, then strain the fat into a large heatproof bowl and keep it. Set the garlic and herbs aside.

3. Increase the oven to 425°F.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are half-cooked. Drain well, shaking the potatoes about a bit to fluff up the edges, and set aside in a colander to dry out for about 10 minutes.

5. Add the potatoes to the bowl of goose fat along with the semolina, caraway, harissa, and 2 tsp of salt. Mix together well, then spread out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown, turning the potatoes over once or twice throughout. Stir in the confit garlic and herbs and continue to roast for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are dark golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with extra salt, if you like, and serve.

Notes

Any recipe with the word confit in it is enough to put some people off. but don't be intimidated! All that it entails, in this context, is slow- cooking the garlic for so long that the oil becomes wonderfully infused and the cloves themselves become super soft. The confit garlic can be made up to 2 days in advance and the potatoes can be prepared up to the point of them going in the oven, about 6 hours in advance.