Garam Masala Potatoes

Garam Masala Potatoes

I love this blog. Doing this has forced me to become a better cook because I kitchen test everything, measure everything, tweak and correct and improve everything before it becomes a recipe. I also think it has helped me in my other life to become a better teacher, because I try write the recipes so that anyone can follow them, But I must be careful about being too wordy or condescending or boring. Those are the same challenges I face as a teacher. This blog has also forced me to become a more creative, adventurous eater than I ever was before. I started writing recipes in late 2010. So, I have had to come up with original recipes for almost 7 years.

Coming up with something new was the inspiration behind this recipe. We have started to eat more Indian food. We have visited a few Indian restaurants and are learning to love the rich aromatic spices that are the signature of the cuisine. I purchased a jar of Korma sauce, not authentic, I know, but you must start somewhere. Korma is a mild curry made with cream and coconut milk. I stewed chicken thighs in the Korma, which turned out to be delicious.

I needed a side dish. I wanted a spicy veggie to go with the mild curry and decided to make potatoes because we had 6 pounds in the pantry. (We both went shopping without consulting the other person.) I realized that I didn’t know much about Indian side dishes, but I knew something about creating a recipe. So, my thought process went like this-I know that garam masala is a popular Indian spice mix-I know that Indian food is often spicy-I know that many of their dishes include cilantro-and everything taste better with lemon. So, garam masala, chilis, cilantro and lemon it is. Garam masala varies from region to region but it is commonly made of peppercorns, cinnamon, mace and cardamom. The spices are toasted and then ground.

I don’t know how authentic this is, but it is the ish! My husband is not an adventurous eater, but he went back for THIRDS.

Servings:  6-8

Time: Cook Time: 20-25 minutes Active time: 10 minutes, Potatoes in about 30 minutes

Hardware: A cutting board and knife, measuring spoons and cups, a large pot, a colander, a heavy skillet, a spatula

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds new white or red potatoes
• 1 small onion (½ cup)
• 1 large red bell pepper (1 cup)
• 1-2 chili peppers (chose them for the level of heat you prefer-jalapeños are pretty mild-I used serranos, which are a little hotter)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon garam marsala
• 2 teaspoons cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 lemon
• Salt
• Sesame oil to cover the bottom of the skillet (you can substitute olive oil or butter)

1. Wash the potatoes but do not peel them. Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Try to make the cubes the same size so that they will cook evenly.
2. Chop the onion, red pepper and garlic. Slice the chili pepper. Remove the seeds if you want less heat. Mince the cilantro. Juice the lemon. Set everything aside.
3. Parboil the potatoes until they are easy to pierce, but still firm. This step is done because you want them to brown before the other veggies get soft. Drain the potatoes.
4. Heat the oil on medium. Add all the veggies and spices. Salt generously and stir. Allow the bottom of the potatoes to crisp, about 5 minutes.
5. Flip the potatoes and cook until desired tenderness. Flip occasionally, but do not stir because you don’t want the veggies to get mushy.
6. Taste and adjust the salt.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Serve warm.