Roasted Spiced Baby Potatoes

Freshly roasted, ground spices added to creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside baby potatoes. These are pan-roasted, bursting with flavor and couldn’t be any easier. Fresh and easy cooking for any day of the week. You can find most of the spices in any well-stocked south-Asian grocery store.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 lb baby potatoes

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds (1/2 tsp for the spice mix, remaining 1/2 tsp for tempering)

3 dried red chilies (use according to your preference)

1/8 th tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp oil (or as needed)(I use grapeseed or avocado oil)

1 pinch of asafetida

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sweet paprika (optional)

1 tsp dry mango powder

Salt, to taste

Lime juice, as needed

Fresh mint, as needed

Instructions

In a skillet, dry- roast the coriander seeds, black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, red chilies, bay leaf and fenugreek seeds, stirring often, until they are fragrant and slightly browned.

Transfer them to a spice grinder and process. Set aside.

Heat a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil.

Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes, or until they potatoes are cooked through but still holding shape.

Drain the potatoes into a colander and set aside. Once they are slightly cool enough to handle, prick the potatoes all around using a fork or a tooth pick. Set them aside.

Tempering - Heat a large skillet to low, add oil and once the oil has heated, remaining cumin seeds, asafetida, garlic powder, sweet paprika, dry mango powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Make sure the heat is set to low as the spices could end up being burnt.

Now gently add the cooked potatoes, season with salt (the potatoes are cooked in salted water already, so you may need to add very little at this stage) and stir well to combine. Cook the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until they are crisp, for about 20 minutes. A good cast-iron skillet will give the potatoes a good crispy exterior.

Sprinkle the freshly ground spices. Add a little at a time, according to your preference. Stir well to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.

Off heat, squeeze fresh lime juice and sprinkle fresh mint leaves before serving.

Cooking notes

*Make sure not to add all the freshly ground spice mix at once. You may need to adjust the quantity depending on the variety of chili pepper and the size of the potatoes you are using. You can store any remaining spice mix in an air tight container for up to a month and use it for curries. I also like to simply mix the spice mix with some white rice and melted vegan butter!

*It is important to make sure that all the potatoes are cooked through. Picking uniform sized ones will ensure that they all cook evenly at the same time.