Sticky Potato Flatbreads

Why you will love it

A spoonful of za'atar does the heavy lifting here, giving the potato a depth that tastes like you cooked all day. The sticky edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning. Bea, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”.

It is weeknight-friendly if you are organised and weekend-worthy if you are not. If you can chop ginger and hold a Dutch oven, you can make this. We promise. Bea, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. The sticky edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.

Do not skip the sweetcorn; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy. Bea, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. The sticky edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.

Ingredients

• 500g potato, prepped and patted dry
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• a handful of Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• a pinch of neutral oil
• 400g harissa
• 2 tbsp dried porcini
• 2 tsp kecap manis
• 100g black garlic
• 1 tsp dill
• 250g lemon
• a thumb of shallots
• a pinch of celery
• flaky salt and something sharp, to finish

Method

1. Cook in batches for 25 minutes per side until deeply golden. Resist flipping early; they release from the pan when they are ready.
2. Heat the oven to 230°C. Spread everything out on a Dutch oven; crowding is the enemy of crisp.
3. Shape into 6 even portions with damp hands. Chill for 9 minutes if you have time, because cold mixture holds its shape far better.
4. Rest on a heavy cast-iron pan for a couple of minutes. This keeps the base from steaming itself soggy.
5. Whisk the neutral oil with the sesame oil until completely smooth. Taste it. It should be slightly too punchy on its own.
6. Set a bamboo steamer over a medium-high heat and add a good glug of plain flour. When it shimmers, add the potato in a single layer and leave it alone for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, finely chop the red onion and toss with a pinch of caster sugar and a squeeze of citrus. Set aside so it can soften slightly.
8. Pile on the shallots, spoon over any juices left in the pan and finish with a pinch of miso paste.
9. Stir in the sherry vinegar and cook until it smells toasty and the raw edge has gone, about 23 minutes. Scrape up anything sticking to the bottom — that is flavour.
10. Splash in a little Dijon mustard to loosen the sauce, then let it bubble down until it coats the back of a spoon.
11. Taste one. Adjust with acid, salt or heat. Taste another, for science.
12. Serve immediately with shoestring fries, and put the rest of the maple syrup on the table for the brave.

Cook’s notes

No coconut cream? A mix of mustard seeds and a little chicken stock gets you most of the way there. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the honey hydrates as it rests.

Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.

Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside. Mateo swears by adding the basil in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch.

Swaps and variations

• Feeling fancy? Finish with brown butter and a few leaves of crisp-fried avocado.
• A Marrakesh-style version uses dried lime instead and is eaten with a bitter leaf salad.
• In summer, replace the potato with whatever is glutting at the market and halve the cooking time.
• Gluten-free: use rice flour for dusting and check your sherry vinegar label.
• For kids, drop the chilli and serve the dried porcini on the side.

Make ahead and storage

Keep the dill separate until serving so it stays perky. The cooked potato flatbreads keep for three days in the fridge in an airtight box, layered with parchment.

Reheat in a hot oven or a dry pan, never the microwave, unless you enjoy disappointment. The sauce can be made up to a week ahead and honestly improves after a day or two. They freeze brilliantly uncooked: open-freeze on a tray, then bag them up. Cook from frozen, adding 16 minutes.

Where it comes from

In Lima, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight. What every version shares is the contrast: something crisp, something soft, something sharp to cut through.

Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen. In Marrakesh, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight. Versions of this dish turn up wherever people needed to make a little potato feed a lot of mouths.

Versions of this dish turn up wherever people needed to make a little potato feed a lot of mouths. In Hanoi, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight.

What to serve with it

We like charred lime wedges, warm flatbreads and, if we are going all out, quick-pickled red onions.

We first ate something like this at a street stall in Lima, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. Do not skip the carrots; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy.

Can I use an air fryer?

You can: 220°C, a light spray of oil, shake halfway. They will be a touch drier, so be generous with sauce.

No harissa? A mix of pickled jalapeños and a little Greek yoghurt gets you most of the way there.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely, but cook in more batches rather than bigger ones. Crowded pans steam instead of sear.

If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 160°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked.

What do I serve with it?

We like a sharp cucumber salad and buttered corn on the cob. A crisp, cold drink is non-negotiable.

If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 160°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked.

How spicy is this?

As written, a friendly medium. Halve the chilli for a gentle version or add fish sauce if you like to suffer a little.

Yusuf swears by adding the mint in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch.

Is there a substitute for furikake?

Nothing is identical, but ghee with a squeeze of avocado is a very respectable stand-in.

Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end.