Rest Stop Dining.
I am positive that you do not want to hear the words “rest stop” and “dining” in the same sentence. But that’s probably because you’re in the United States. If you’re in Europe, or Morocco, as is the case in today’s post, an ordinary highway rest stop often has extraordinary food.
I first encountered this in Italy, when we stopped at a highway rest stop for gas and a bite to eat. Instead of vending machines or fast food, I found a counter serving freshly-made pastas and main courses, both of exceptional quality at incredibly reasonable prices. No one in Italy wants bad food. Ever.
In Morocco, while travelling from Essaouira to Marrakech, our driver Brahim pulled over at a place that looked very pedestrian. We sat down at a Formica table in a large, cafeteria-like space with fluorescent lighting above. The ambiance did not scream “good food.” We all opted for the chicken brochettes with fries — very appealing on a chilly gray day.
The marinated, grilled chicken came with two containers of sauces; one was obviously ketchup, the other was pink. I asked our server (who was also the manager) if there was garlic in the pink sauce. He said “No — this is Sauce Algérienne”. Brahim told us that it’s a favorite condiment in Morocco. The manager returned to the table with the bottle so I could read the label (in French and Arabic). No garlic. And it was wonderful. So I snapped a photo of the ingredients list and made a mental note to recreate this meal at home. Voilà — Chicken Brochettes with Sauce Algérienne and fries.
~ David
Chicken Brochettes with Sauce Algérienne and Fries
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice; mix well. Whisk together the remaining spices, add to the bowl, and stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat grill to high.
Divide marinated chicken cubes among four metal skewers (or pre-soaked bamboo skewers). Season with additional salt and pepper. Place on grill and reduce heat to medium (for charcoal grilling, move to indirect heat). Grill about 2 minutes per side, until done.
Accompany the brochettes with French fries, Sauce Algérienne (recipes follow), and a green salad.
Serves 4.
Notes: Make the Sauce Algérienne first and refrigerate. If you are making the oven fries, heat the grill before starting to bake the fries, but don’t cook the chicken until 5 minutes after you have raised the heat on the fries; this way, they will come out at the same time.
Oven Fries
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Wash potatoes leaving skin on the ends but peeling in between. Cut potatoes lengthwise, as evenly as possible into 3/16-inch fries.
Soak the cut potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. Remove from water and dry very well using a salad spinner (or with dish towels).
Transfer dried potatoes to a large bowl, drizzle in the olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat all the potatoes. Spread evenly into one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes. Increase heat to 425°F, rotate the baking sheet, and cook fries until golden, about 10 minutes more. Drain on paper towels, then serve.
Serves 4.
Sauce Algérienne
Place the egg, vinegar, salt, mustard, sugar, shallot powder, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Purée for 1 to 2 seconds. Add the olive oil, sambal oelek, and tomato paste. Purée again for 1 to 2 seconds. With the motor running, slowly drizzle the vegetable oil through the feed tube until the mixture thickens and becomes sauce like.
Scrape mixture into a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated and will last several days.
Makes about 1 cup.
Note: this sauce is also wonderful as a vegetable dip or as sandwich spread.
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Mad Dog
February 14, 2026 at 5:03 amThat looks delicious! I’ve never had the sauce before, but I will definitely make it.
France has a fantastic network of Relais Routiers (truck driver’s inns) which serve excellent food at a very reasonable price. You won’t see it these days, but back in the 70s the drivers would sit down to hearty lunch and a bottle of wine!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 14, 2026 at 6:17 amThanks, Mad Dog. I knew France had to have the same kind of system as I found in Italy — I just never drove around France (I was always taking trains). I love the vision of the truck drivers with their meal and wine. Priceless.
angiesrecipes
February 14, 2026 at 5:20 amThese chicken skewers look droolworthy! That sauce would be great for Frikadellen as well.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 14, 2026 at 6:18 amThe sauce would, indeed, work with Frikadellen. Gosh, I haven’t had one in ages — the mid 80s, I think.
Barb
February 14, 2026 at 8:06 amI would love to sit down to a meal like this while traveling or at home! Simple, healthy food that is delicious is hard to find away from home in many places. The sauce Algérienne is especially interesting. Beautiful photos!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 14, 2026 at 8:41 amIt is always the simplest food that tastes the best, isn’t it This meal was one of those. I thought of you last evening when I used my new batch of Alchemy in a Mushroom and Hazelnut Ragù on pasta — just fantastic!
Barb
February 14, 2026 at 9:26 amWoo Hoo!!! I knew you would nail it!! I thought of you yesterday when I bought a head of cauliflower to make the Roasted Mushroom Cauliflower recipe. I’ll write to you later. We are having a much needed very rainy day here, so I’ll have more time for correspondence.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 14, 2026 at 10:05 amIt really is a spectacular mixture. And I wouldn’t have known about it without you! Enjoy the rain. Maybe it was the same rain we had here yesterday!
Vance Morgan
February 14, 2026 at 9:25 amDavid, as with all of your recipes, I wish I had someone to prepare this one for me. I still do some cooking, and just want to make a pitch for air frying. I have a two quart air fryer in which I do vegetables, including french fries (the connection to your chicken brochette recipe). They cook beautifully with very little clean-up. No need to heat up your oven or cook on a grill.
Vance
Cocoa & Lavender
February 14, 2026 at 10:06 amThanks, Vance — I have toyed with an air fryer but just really don’t have room for another appliance. And I don’t mind heating up the oven most times of the year!
Jeff the Chef
February 14, 2026 at 9:28 amThis, from the chicken to the fries to the sauce, looks amazing. As usual! You’re an inspiration, David. I found the same to be true in France. You’re driving down a highway, and you stop at a rest stop, and the food is fabulous. Fast, but fabulous. I really don’t understand what is wrong with us in the states.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 14, 2026 at 10:04 amThank you, Jeff — as always, you are so kind. Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, the food on the road here in the states is just awful. I bet you are like me in that you always pack your own food for a road trip!
Eha Carr
February 14, 2026 at 4:46 pmLove northern African food from Morocco, Algeria and, most of all, Tunisia as a matter of fact. Very much like the above sauce . . . and like the look of the spoon tucked into your sauceboat 🙂 ! Have been lucky to have driven over much of Western and Northern Europe – mostly very good roadside food experiences > but also remember France and Italy . . . well, perchance to be expected 🙂 !
Cocoa & Lavender
February 15, 2026 at 7:58 amI agree that North African cuisine is wonderful — as we travel solely by train now (except when we have a driver as in Morocco), rest stop dining isn’t going to be in my future.
FEL!X
February 14, 2026 at 6:34 pmSince we rarely prepare skewers but mostly chicken wing parts (which don’t ask for a sauce) I would serve this nice sauce – like Angie – with meatballs!
Fries: «leaving skin on the ends but peeling in between» – interesting!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 15, 2026 at 7:49 amThe beef brochettes were spiced ground beef on skewers so they are very much like what you and Angie suggest!
CC
February 14, 2026 at 7:09 pmOooh I love the look of all of it, David! The sauce sounds perfect for the chicken, and those fries! YUM! I agree, rest stop food is so different in Italy. One of the best places to eat at times! Can’t wait to visit Morocco at some point!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 15, 2026 at 7:48 amThanks, Christina! Funny how rest stops in Europe are so good compared to the US. We don’t travel bt car any longer so I miss out on this for the most part!
sherry
February 14, 2026 at 10:19 pmoh yes it looks delicious David. Must be hard not to be able to eat garlic. Unless you don’t like it, as well as being allergic? Fries – yes please and the skewers.
cheers
sherry
Cocoa & Lavender
February 15, 2026 at 7:46 amHi Sherry — it isn’t really all that hard, especially in places where garlic is not a god. I know that to be the case here in the US, but not sure about Australia. Yes, it is a fantastic herb but most cuisines don’t use it in everything. I find more to eat in Europe than I do here. Yours is a good question: I wonder if I would like it anymore? I used to, but not having had it for 37 years (except for accidents) I don’t miss it at all. And the reaction if I have do ingest some is very unpleasant and not good for my heart. Glad you like the brochettes and fries!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
February 15, 2026 at 8:18 amLooks delightful! When I read your first line I immediately thought but the Autogrills in Italy are wonderful. But of course you knew that! Too bad we can’t have nice things here…
Cocoa & Lavender
February 16, 2026 at 8:32 amIt does boggle my mind that our fast food rest stops are the worst. The Autogrills were always such a treat when taking to the roads in Italy.
Inger
February 15, 2026 at 10:48 amThis really is lovely for eating in a plain setting (or perhaps you made yours prettier). And love that you recreated the sauce too–sounds amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 16, 2026 at 8:29 amMine might have been made a bit more elegant by my using a silver platter. But it’s fun to serve street food in an elegant way!
Pauline McNee
February 16, 2026 at 12:50 amDavid your brochettes and fries look like the perfect pairing and that sauce I think would work with just plain cooked chicken, or would jazz many dishes up. I will definitely be making it. When we were in France we didn’t stop at many roadside petrol stations, but when we drove around much of Spain, we certainly did, and I was really surprised by the quality and variety of the food, and the fresh salads, which is lovely to have access to when travelling. We always take our own food when doing road trips here to saved costs and it’s more convenient, as also the food can be a bit dodgy sometimes. The bakeries are generally great though.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 16, 2026 at 8:27 amThank you. Pauline. I wish we had driven in Spain so that I could have tried some of the roadside stops. Sounds like Europe is well covered for good food when traveling. Like you, I always make and pack our own food for road trips in the US. People say that the truck stops have good food — and they might — but it isn’t the quality of healthful foods we see in Europe. I think you will like this sauce a lot. It is perfect for plain chicken, but it’s also great on burgers and other sandwiches, and we love it as a dip for carrot sticks.
The-FoodTrotter
February 16, 2026 at 3:45 amI love how you turn a classical French-Algerian cheap street food as something also glamorous with this beautiful platter. I love this sauce on ready to go kebab after a long night out ^^
Cocoa & Lavender
February 16, 2026 at 8:24 amThanks, Romain — I wonder if we can find this when we are in Paris this spring. I would love to try another version! Of course, a late night out for me would be 20h00… but you are much younger!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
February 16, 2026 at 8:53 amThese chicken brochettes are calling my name. I love the idea of pairing juicy grilled chicken with that bold, flavourful sauce. Such a fantastic combination!
David Scott Allen
February 17, 2026 at 12:16 amThanks, Ben — I appreciate your kind words. The Moroccan-style marinade really makes a nice difference for the tenderness of the chicken, and the sauce is just the best!
Gerlinde de Broekert
February 17, 2026 at 10:24 amDavid, what a great dish. I am a real sucker for tasty sauces.I have to try your recipe soon.
David Scott Allen
February 21, 2026 at 9:36 amThanks Gerlinde — the sauce is so versatile!
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
February 18, 2026 at 9:46 pmWhat sort of grill did you use? The only grill I have is a little round charcoal grill that I need to bend over to use outside. I think I should buy an electric grill to use inside, but then maybe I wouldn’t get that nice barbeque taste? Your recipe is just what my husband would like: Flavor, flavor, flavor!! (And for me, “yummy in the tummy”!
David Scott Allen
February 21, 2026 at 9:36 amHi Fran — I have used both my outdoor gas grill and my broiler indoors. Both worked really well, though the results (as you suggest) are a bit different. Thanks for your kind words!
Evening With A Sandwich
February 22, 2026 at 6:58 pmDavid, you got that right, food is Europe and in many other places around the world the “rest stop” is a completely different experience. This is a simplistic and delicious meal.
Velva
P.S. I finally got that camera!
David Scott Allen
February 23, 2026 at 8:38 amOh, so glad you got the camera — hwo do you like it?
Glad you like the brochettes!
Valentina
February 23, 2026 at 10:43 pmThree recipes in one – I love it! I’ve never cooked with shallot powder. I must order some. I remember this happening in Spain a couple of times, a delicious coffee and tortilla at a café in the middle of nowhere. We should all be taking road trips in Morocco and Europe. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
February 27, 2026 at 9:27 amThanks, Valentina — as for shallot powder, I either blitz dried shallots from Penzeys, or buy the purple shallot powder from Burlap & Barrel (preferred). Do you knwo this spice company? It is amazing.
Glad you like all three recipes. It is really fun recreating dishes we had on the road!
Raymund
March 1, 2026 at 3:27 pmDavid, only you could turn a simple roadside meal into a little snapshot of travel charm. It’s such a relatable reminder that good food and good moments don’t always come from grand plans; sometimes they’re waiting right off the highway.
David Scott Allen
March 4, 2026 at 7:49 amThat is the perfect way to put it, Raymund, which is why we generally don’t make grand plans. We wait for the good food to find us!
2pots2cook
March 4, 2026 at 4:45 amOMG! I can already smell fabolous spices…. such an appealing dinner !!!!
David Scott Allen
March 4, 2026 at 7:46 amThanks, Davorka — this is a really flavorful and simple meal!