The Kitchen Docs

Potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables in my opinion. With not much of a taste of its own, it becomes a perfect carrier of whatever flavors you add to it. We love potatoes in our family and there are sooooooo many Indian vegetable curries that potatoes make an appearance in. It’s more like – you want to cook with a particular veggie and want to add some bulk or quantity to it – add an aaloo (potato in Hindi)..:P. Aaloo gobhi, aaloo baingan, aaloo matar, aaloo aaloo aaloo…..lol.

I didn’t quite start roasting a lot of vegetables before moving to the United States. And once I discovered that how easy roasting vegetables was, there has been no looking back. Perfectly cooked, perfectly crunchy, and so much less work. Basics of roasting any vegetable include setting the temperature of your oven moderately high, cutting the veggies almost the same size so that they cook evenly, adding some sort of fat/oil and your seasonings. Big mix and lay on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven. Ta-da. The times might vary according to the kind vegetable you are using.

Potatoes roast beautifully! A crisp and crunchy exterior with soft, almost pillow-like, interior. I have been making The Pioneer Woman’s breakfast potatoes recipe for quite some time now. And in this Indian spiced roasted potato salad recipe, I use the same technique as hers to roast the potatoes. I have tried a few different ways to cook potatoes for this salad. Boiled – too mushy, boiled and pan fried – too much work, pan roasted – too long. So you get the picture – roasting potatoes in the oven is the way to go. Take my word for it. This super tasty potato salad is good to take to a potluck, make a big batch if you are having company or just to snack on when your heart desires. Its best served warm but leftovers (hardly possible) taste great chilled too.

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 2 lb., about 4 medium sized potatoes, cut into chunks

Garlic – 2 cloves, minced

Red onion – 1 small, thick sliced

Red bell pepper – 1, sliced

Green chili – 1, choose between jalapeno, serrano or Thai according to the spice level you like

Cilantro – 8-10 sprigs, thick stems discarded, roughly chopped

Olive Oil – 2 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon

Butter – 1 tablespoon, melted

Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon

Red wine vinegar – 1 tablespoon

Seasoned Salt – 1 teaspoon (optional)

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper – to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, toss together potatoes, minced garlic, 2 tbsp. olive oil, melted butter, seasoned salt or regular salt and black pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and roast, 25-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until browned and cooked through.

While potatoes are roasting, set a cast iron pan (preferably) on medium heat and toast coriander and cumin seeds for about 1 minute or until the beautiful earthy aroma from the spices fills up your kitchen. Remove the spices from the skillet and set them aside to cool slightly. Increase the heat to medium high and to the same pan, add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions bell peppers and green chilies, season lightly with salt and let cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, crush the toasted coriander and cumin seeds slightly to release the flavors further. You can use a mortar pestle to do this, or simply wrap the seeds in single layer of a kitchen towel and beat it up with a rolling pin or a heavy object like a meat mallet. C’mon get that aggression out…

In a large mixing bowl add the crushed spices, and vinegar, and whisk together to blend. Add potatoes, onion and pepper mix and cilantro. Give everything a big toss together, check for seasoning and enjoy!!

Love – Vaishali.

Tools used:

Mixing bowl

Cast Iron pan

Knife and chopping board

Measuring spoons

Mortar and pestle

Cookie sheet

Spatula