OVEN FRIES WITH TAHINI YOGURT AND SMOKY-SWEET NUTS

Oven Fries With Tahini Yogurt and Smoky-Sweet Nuts image

This is an alternative take on loaded fries, but the cheesy sauce is replaced with tahini yogurt and the bacon bits with smoky-sweet nuts. It's no less decadent, however, and a great one to dig into and share. Double up on the smoky-sweet nuts, if you like. They're an easy way to introduce both texture and flavor to dishes, and are particularly good spooned onto hummus.

Provided by Yotam Ottolenghi

Categories snack, finger foods, appetizer

Time 1h15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

2 1/4 pounds/1 kilogram skin-on Yukon Gold (or King Edward) potatoes, cut lengthwise into roughly 1/2-inch/1 1/2-centimeter-thick sticks
2 teaspoons rice flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) or parsley stems (or a mixture of both)
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup/40 grams pine nuts
1/4 cup/30 grams roughly chopped blanched almonds
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (or black sesame seeds)
1 teaspoon Urfa chile flakes
1 teaspoon Aleppo chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
3 tablespoons/60 grams Greek-style yogurt
2 1/2 tablespoons/50 grams tahini
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced

Steps:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius.
On a large parchment-lined baking sheet (tray), toss the potatoes with the rice flour, oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread them out in an even layer so they're not overlapping. Cover the baking sheet tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes, until the potatoes steam and soften slightly.
Meanwhile, make the pickled stems: Add the herb stems to a small bowl with the vinegar and set aside to gently pickle.
Prepare the nuts: Add the oil to a small frying pan and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the pine nuts and almonds, and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted and nicely browned, about 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the sugar, nigella seeds, Urfa and Aleppo chile flakes, paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a bowl.
Make the tahini yogurt: Add all the ingredients to a bowl with 2 1/2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon salt; whisk until smooth. Add an additional 1 or 2 tablespoons of water, if needed, until the mixture is just pourable, since it tends to thicken as it sits.
Remove the foil from the potatoes, turn the heat up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to gently flip the fries over, separating them if they stick together at all, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more, until nicely golden and crispy. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
To serve, transfer the fries to a large serving platter and drizzle with the tahini yogurt. Spoon the nut mixture on top, followed by the pickled stems and their liquid. Serve immediately.