Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Makes about 24 generous banatages

For the filling

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) potatoes
• 150 g (5 oz) tuna in water or oil (drained)
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, each cut into 6 pieces
• 2 tsp salt
• Pepper (to taste)
• A little all-purpose flour (plain flour) or fine matzo meal

For frying

• Neutral oil
• 2 eggs
• All-purpose flour or matzo meal

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Tunisian banatages are a much-loved appetizer in our family, and I’m sharing our family recipe with you here.

Making the banatage filling

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into large chunks and boil them for about 20 minutes (check that they’re done: a knife should slide in easily). Meanwhile, in a saucepan, hard-boil the eggs in lightly salted boiling water for about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add the drained tuna.

Shaping the banatages

Count on about 60 g (2 oz) of filling per banatage (1 large heaping tablespoon).

3. Lightly flour your hands, then scoop a tablespoon of filling into the palm of your hand, shape it into a slightly flattened disc, tuck a piece of egg into the middle (ideally with the yolk pressed against the potato), then close it up gently but firmly so the egg is fully enclosed.

4. Roll in flour, shaking off the excess, and set on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the filling.

Cooking the banatages

If you notice that the potato has absorbed some of the flour, you can flour them again lightly before frying.

5. In a deep-sided skillet, heat 2 cm (¾ inch) of neutral oil.

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs as for an omelet. In another bowl, pour some flour (or matzo meal).

6. Once the oil is hot, drop a small piece of peeled carrot into it (this keeps the oil from darkening). When the oil reaches the right temperature, small bubbles will form around the carrot.

7. Take a banatage, roll it in the flour, tapping off the excess, dip it quickly in the egg, letting it drip a little, and gently lower it into the skillet. Repeat until you have up to about 10 in the pan (7 on an induction cooktop). Fry until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes (turning them gently with a spoon so they don’t open up), and set aside on a rack or on a plate lined with parchment paper.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Tips and variations

• With the same filling you can also make delicious Tunisian potato brik, so feel free to double the quantities, which is ideal when you’re putting together a buffet or a spread of appetizers.

• Swap the tuna for ground beef that you have browned beforehand.

• This recipe is perfectly suited to Passover: as noted, simply replace the flour with matzo meal.