INDIAN SPICED POTATOES

This recipe has been tweaked from Maeve O’Meara’s Food Safari. It’s quick to make and big on flavour. The potatoes can be tossed in the frying pan or alternatively roasted. Both methods are delicious, though roasting the sebago potato yields a fluffy textured flesh with drier surface compared to a moister finish when tossing in the pan.

serves 4-6

600g sebago potatoes, cut into 2-3cm sized cubes

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon chilli powder

1½  teaspoons sea salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ bunch spring onions, white part finely chopped and green part sliced

1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

¼ bunch coriander, chopped

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a teaspoon of turmeric and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to boil over a high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain well.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining salt and turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander and chilli in a large bowl. Add the cooked potato and toss to coat well in the spices.

Heat the oil in a large heavy based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cumin and stir for a minute or two until mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the white part of the spring onion and cook or 2 minutes to soften. Add the potato mixture and sesame seeds and stir gently to coat in the oil. Cook for a minute.  Reduce heat if spices start to burn. Add the green spring onion and coriander and cook for another 2 minutes, while gently stirring occasionally until potatoes are well coated and aromatic.

Serve hot alongside other vegetable or meat dishes, or with warmed roti bread.

Roasting method: Toss the drained boiled potatoes in oil, then coat with all the spices and salt. Spread over a shallow baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes in a 200°C oven until potatoes are lightly golden. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds, coriander and remaining spring onion and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Other serving suggestions: Add 1 cup of cooked peas to the frying pan at the same time when adding the potatoes and continue following method instructions.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, August 2022