This Lebanese Potato Bowl is my husband's favorite way to eat batata harra and once you make it this way, you will never think of it as just a side dish again! Crispy roasted russet potatoes tossed in a bold cilantro, garlic, lemon, and chili sauce that is the soul of traditional batata harra, topped with spiced ground beef, sliced avocado, and a cool garlic yogurt that ties every component together into a complete and genuinely satisfying bowl.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Lebanese Potato Bowl
🕒 Ready In: ~ 50 minutes
👪 Serves: 4 servings
🍽 Calories: ~ 658 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Potatoes, ground beef, lemon, cilantro, red pepper, lemon, garlic
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Batata harra translates to spicy potatoes in Arabic, and it is one of the most beloved dishes on the Lebanese mezze table. My husband grew up eating it alongside almost everything and the combination of mashed garlic, cilantro, coriander, and lemon tossed through hot roasted potatoes is one of those flavor memories that belongs entirely to the Lebanese kitchen. Adding ground beef and avocado turns it from a side dish into a full bowl situation that works for lunch or dinner.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Batata harra meets a full bowl dinner. Crispy roasted potatoes in that iconic Lebanese garlic cilantro sauce topped with spiced beef and avocado.
The garlic yogurt on top. Cool, creamy, and tangy against the warm spiced potatoes and beef. The temperature contrast makes every bite more interesting.
One bowl, feeds four. Meal prep friendly and genuinely better the next day when the sauce has had time to absorb into the potatoes.
Lebanese Potato Bowl Video
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Ingredient Notes
Russet Potatoes: They are high starch content and give you that deeply crispy exterior and fluffy interior. The key is spacing them out on a generously oiled sheet pan with room between each piece. Crowded potatoes steam rather than roast and you will never get the golden crust.
The Garlic Cilantro Sauce: This is the sauce that makes batata harra what it is and it is entirely different from anything you can make with garlic powder or dried herbs. The mashed garlic releases its oils and mixes into the lemon and olive oil base in a way that minced garlic cannot replicate.
Red Pepper Flakes and Shatta: The heat in the garlic cilantro sauce comes from red pepper flakes, and I like to add shatta, a Middle Eastern chili paste made from fermented red chilies with garlic and spices. You can absolutely just use red pepper flakes, and the sauce will still be delicious and properly spicy.
Ground Beef: Finished with tomato paste cooked until darkened, and bound with a cornstarch slurry and a splash of water that creates a slightly saucy, glossy ground beef that sits on top of the potatoes rather than being dry and crumbly. The same technique I use in my Chicken and Pepper Lettuce Cups and it works beautifully every time.
Garlic Yogurt: The same cool garlic yogurt sauce from my Stuffed Cabbage Bowl and my One Pot Chicken Shawarma Rice. Plain full-fat Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. It takes two minutes to make and it is the cool creamy counterpoint that brings every component of this bowl together.
Pro tip
The Secret to Perfect Potatoes
Toss the sauce through the potatoes while they are still hot from the oven. Hot potatoes are porous and they absorb the garlic cilantro sauce deeply into each piece. Cold potatoes will just have the sauce sitting on the surface rather than penetrating the interior.
Substitutions & Variations
No shatta? You can skip it or Calabrian chili paste is the closest substitute in terms of fruity heat and complexity. Harissa works too and adds a North African spin.
No ground beef? Ground chicken works for a lighter version but add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to compensate for the lower fat content.
Want to keep it vegetarian? Skip the ground beef entirely and add a can of drained chickpeas tossed in the same spice blend and pan fried until slightly crispy. The batata harra and garlic yogurt are complete on their own without the meat.
FAQ
Either the pan was overcrowded, the oven was not fully preheated, or the potatoes were not dried properly before seasoning. Make sure there is space between each piece on the pan, the oven is at a full 450F before the potatoes go in, and pat them dry with paper towels after peeling and cubing if they feel wet.
The garlic yogurt and spiced beef both keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The potatoes are best roasted fresh for maximum crispiness but can be reheated in the air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes before tossing in the sauce. Assemble the bowls fresh each time.
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⭐️ Recipe
Lebanese Potato Bowl
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for the pan and for flipping
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Garlic cilantro sauce
- 2 cups fresh cilantro loosely packed (or about a bunch) washed and finely chopped
- 5 large garlic cloves mashed to almost a paste with a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon shatta optional but recommended but if you want less spice you can skip
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Spiced ground beef
- 1 lb 93/7 ground beef
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon beef bouillon
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- ⅓ cup water
Garlic yogurt
- 1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For serving
- 1 ripe avocado sliced
Instructions
Roast the potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 450F. Peel and cube the russet potatoes into even pieces roughly an inch in size. Add to a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt until every piece is evenly coated.5 lbs russet potatoes, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt
- Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil across one or two large sheet pans. Spread the seasoned potatoes in a single even layer with space between each piece. Do not crowd the pan. Roast at 450F for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through at the 17 or 18 minute mark. If any pieces are sticking when you flip, add a small drizzle of olive oil and continue roasting. The potatoes are done when they are deeply golden and crispy on the outside and completely tender on the inside.
Cook the ground beef
- While the potatoes roast, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and spread into an even layer. Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until a golden sear develops on the bottom. Break up the beef and continue cooking until fully browned.1 lb 93/7 ground beef, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Add the beef bouillon, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to coat evenly. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly until the paste darkens and smells rich. Add the cornstarch slurry and the water and stir to combine. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the beef is slightly saucy and glossy. Remove from the pan and set aside.1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ½ tbsp beef bouillon, ½ tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water, ⅓ cup water
Make the garlic cilantro sauce
- In the same pan reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil. Add the mashed garlic paste and chopped cilantro and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly until fragrant. Add the coriander, red pepper flakes, and shatta if using. Stir to combine. Add the fresh lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes until everything is fragrant and slightly reduced.2 cups fresh cilantro loosely packed (or about a bunch), 5 large garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp shatta, ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Toss the potatoes
- Add the hot roasted potatoes directly to the pan with the garlic cilantro sauce. Toss firmly until every piece of potato is thoroughly coated in the sauce. The potatoes should be hot enough to absorb the sauce deeply rather than just having it sit on the surface. Taste and adjust lemon, salt, and red pepper flakes as needed.
Make the garlic yogurt
- In a small bowl stir together the Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside until ready to serve.1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, Salt and black pepper to taste
Assemble and serve
- Divide the garlic cilantro dressed potatoes into four bowls. Top each bowl with a generous portion of the spiced ground beef. Fan the avocado slices alongside. Finish with a generous spoonful of garlic yogurt over the top. Serve immediately while the potatoes are still warm and the yogurt is still cold.1 ripe avocado
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!