Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the potatoes in their skins until completely soft when poked with a skewer or thin knife, about an hour. Let them cool on the counter.

Step 2

Scoop out the cooled potato flesh and roughly mash in a large bowl. Grate the onion into another large bowl. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can, and then add the onion to the potatoes. Add the eggs, flour, scallions, parsley, cilantro, cumin, paprika, baharat, salt, and several twists of pepper and mix thoroughly. If you have time, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this will stabilize the texture).

Step 3

Line a tray or plate with two layers of paper towels. Fill a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) and heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Step 4

While the oil is heating, rub your hands with additional oil and shape the potato mixture into patties about 2 1/2 inches (6 centimeters) across. Working in batches, add the patties to the hot oil and fry until they are deep golden-green and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to the paper towels to drain. Repeat to cook the remaining patties.

Step 5

Serve hot or warm, with red pepper tahini sauce. Aruk latkes are best fresh out of the skillet, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a day; reheat them at 350°F (175°C) for 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 6

Tip: To speed things up, you can pulse the herbs and the onion in a food processor until they are finely chopped.

Step 7

Put bell peppers and chile in food processor or blender, add tahini, lemon juice, and garlic, and purée until completely smooth. Add honey, paprika, and salt and pulse again to blend. With motor running, slowly stream in ice water and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days.