Maakouda is a Moroccan potato dish, served either as pie or as fritter, which became an everyday dish for Jews during Passover. Just like Ashkenazi potato kugel, maakouda is a staple of Passover for so many Jewish communities around the Diaspora.
Ingredients
- 2 lb golden potatoes, skin on, scrubbed
- 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ lb fresh (or frozen) green peas
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 5 large eggs, separated
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9” round cake pan with oil and drizzle one tablespoon olive oil at the bottom
- Put the potatoes, skin on, in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to boil over high heat, cover, lower the heat and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. You can either remove potato skins or leave them on for a more rustic results. Mash the potatoes, making sure to leave small to medium chunks.
- While the potatoes are cooking, put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and carrots until carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Add green pea and sauté about 3 minutes longer (or 1 minute if you’re using frozen peas.) Remove from the heat.
- Add the carrot-pea mixture into the mashed potatoes and mix. Add salt, turmeric, black pepper and egg yolks and mix again.
- Whip egg whites to form soft peaks and then fold gently into potato mixture. Transfer to the pan and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes longer, until the top is golden and the pie is firm. Let sit for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
