In the “Palestinian Chicken” episode of Curb your Enthusiasm, Larry and Jeff enjoy the roasted chicken at the Al-Abbas restaurant despite the fact that the restaurant is decorated with pro-Palestine posters. David says that if the chicken was sent to Israel, “they’d take down all the settlements immediately.”
The comedian sent a copy of the episode to Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz who forwarded it to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the suggestion that he invite Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over to watch it together. Dershowitz said, “Maybe if they both get a good laugh, they can begin a negotiating process.” Alas, this did not happen.
Zankou Chicken, a famous Armenian-Lebanese roast chicken restaurant in LA, was the inspiration for the fictional Al-Abbas. The restaurant is widely known for its amazing white garlic sauce called toum which for some reason is not mentioned in the episode. The following recipe is a close approximation of Zankou’s “secret sauce.” Toum is Arabic for garlic and in addition to chicken, this sauce is good on meat, fish, roasted vegetables … everything really.
Zankou’s Garlic Sauce (Toum)
3 small russet potatoes, peeled
1 head of garlic (12-14 cloves)
1/3 c. of fresh lemon juice
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. canola oil
Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft, then mash to a smooth consistency. Allow to cool.
Place the peeled garlic cloves, salt and half of the lemon juice in a blender or food processor.
With the machine on, slowly stream the oil into the mixture until it combines into a smooth consistency.
Pour the garlic “mayonnaise” into a bowl. Add the mashed potatoes 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until it’s the consistency of loose, mashed potatoes. Stir in the remaining lemon juice.
Cover the bowl, and chill the sauce completely. Before serving, return the sauce to room temperature and add salt to taste.
garlicescapes 
Wow! I’m making this!