The success of a dish is as much about the way it tastes as the way it makes you feel. Like snuggling up under a warm blanket at the end of an extremity-numbing winter day, this Harissa Tamari roasted chicken is cozy and comforting. Umami tamari and savory harissa hug the edges of moist chicken, served with crispy shallot potatoes and finished with a tangy cumin kefir yogurt. This dish is perfectly timed for what can be a difficult time of the year: days are shorter and darker, and with the holiday season behind us, we begin the count down to the arrival of Spring here in the North East. It’s the time of the year when most of us cling to the hopes of a snow day, so we can stay under the covers just a little bit longer. Whether you’re someone who revels in the frosty temperatures of late January, or someone who despises it, this dish is guaranteed to warm you on even the coldest days.

It does require a little bit of prep work, but don’t let that hold you back. Salt your chicken and soak your potatoes while you cuddle up (under those aforementioned blankets) and you’ll forget you had to prep at all. This dish is also incredibly versatile: play with plating and you can make it work for the most casual or most impressive dinner party. For the former, serve everything on parchment paper: cut the meat off the bones and place on top of the roasted potatoes. Put out with tongs, extra yogurt sauce, good olive oil, fresh arugula, lemon wedges and flaky salt, and your guests can make themselves a plate. For the latter, allow the stunning red harissa to make a statement on white serveware: drizzle with yogurt and serve similarly with a simple side salad. P.S. it’s also totally cool if you plan to eat this all by yourself!

Harissa Tamari Roasted Chicken with Crispy Potatoes and Cumin Yogurt

Serves 2

2 bone-in chicken legs with thigh (you can also cook the leg and thigh separately)
3/4 lb red potatoes
2 tbsps New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Harissa (available for purchase in NY here and online here)
1 tbsp Tamari
2 lemons
2 large shallots
1/2 tsp cumin Seeds
1/8 tsp Smoked paprika
1/8 tsp Cumin
1/4 goat milk Kefir (I use Redwood Hill Farm available here, and you can always sub plain greek yogurt)
Extra virgin olive oil
Neutral oil, like Canola or Safflower
Maldon Sea Salt
Cast iron pan
Stainless steel pan

Coat your chicken legs in 1/2 tbsp salt and let sit in your fridge for up to 1 day before cooking, or at least 1 hour at room temperature (but not longer for safety reasons!). Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Soak red potatoes in a bowl with cold water, 1-2 hours to remove extra starch. In a large pan add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Salt the water so that it is salty to the taste (it should taste like the sea), approximately 2 tbsps. Bring to a boil.

Cut your 2 shallots across into thin rounds. You can save the ends and skin to use in stock! Set aside.

Meanwhile in a mixing bowl combine 2 tbsps New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Harissa, 1 tbsp tamari, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, and just shy of 1/4 tsp both smoked paprika and cumin. Mix well. Then add chicken to the bowl and rub sauce into the meat, making sure to get it under the skin. Leave the chicken in the marinade as you add 1 tbsp neutral oil to your stainless steel pan and heat over medium high heat. Once oil is shimmering, let excess juice drip off chicken and place skin side down in the pan. It should sizzle. Cook until skin is browned - about 8 minutes. Chicken should release from the bottom of the pan if gently moved.

Once the skin is golden brown, remove from the heat and turn the chickens skin side up. Put the pan in the oven to finish cooking. You will cook at 425 for 25 minutes. Please note that you must use an oven-safe stainless steel pan (or other high-temp, oven safe pan).

The water should be boiling for your potatoes. Add potatoes and par boil until your fork penetrates the potato just beyond the surface of the skin but not all the way through, roughly 8 minutes. Be careful not to over boil the potatoes or you won’t be slice them. Remove the potatoes and immediately run under cold water until cool enough to handle. Cut potatoes in 1/8 inch thick slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.

After the chicken has been in the oven about 10 minutes, wearing an oven mitt very carefully baste, spooning the rendered fat and juice from the bottom of the pan over the chicken. You can do this again when the chicken has about 5 minutes left.

Pull the chicken out after 25 minutes, or until cooked through (internal temperature 165). Set aside to rest.

While the chicken is resting, remove your sliced potatoes from the water. Sufficiently dry them using a clean dish towel or paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Add to your cast iron pan enough neutral oil to sufficiently cover the bottom of the pan - about 1.5 tbsps. Heat over medium heat until oil sizzles when you put a potato in. You will cook the potatoes in batches. Add enough potatoes to cover the bottom of the pan, but not crowd it. Let brown on one side and then try to flip (3-5 mins depending on your pan so check often). Keep them as flat as possible so they cook evenly. Once first batch of potatoes is browned remove and put on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Add your next batch of potatoes, and more oil to the pan if needed. Repeat with the rest of potatoes. Once your potatoes are all cooked, quickly scrape any burnt bits from the bottom of your cast iron and carefully pour off any excess oil. You will just need a little to quickly fry up your shallots over med-high heat, making sure not to burn them. When they are crispy, put shallot on top of your potatoes.

To make the yogurt, add a little under 1/4 cup cold goat milk kefir to a small bowl. In a hot dry pan toast 1/2 tsp cumin seeds - about 1 min or until fragrant. Immediately mix into yogurt. Before serving add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You can prepare your yogurt sauce before you start cooking, or after. If you make it before, leave it in the fridge until food is ready.

Finally before serving reheat the rendered sauce and fat from the chicken over low heat on your stove top, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Spoon over chicken and potatoes. Drizzle with yogurt and serve.