One of the best parts of a roast dinner is the potatoes especially if they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
These are roasties with a difference. If you have any left-over spice pastes rolling around in your cupboards, then this is perfect for using them up and adding some extra flavour to that all time favourite. One of the best parts of a roast dinner is the potatoes especially if they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Every Sunday my mother would make these using one of our spice pastes but if you don’t have any to hand then here is a paste you can easily make up yourself.
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
900 g (2 lb) roasting potatoes, any will do, cut into large bite size pieces
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp black peppercorns
2 dried red chillies
2 fat garlic cloves
Good pinch of sea salt
4 tbsp oil, rapeseed or light olive oil is great
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and boil the potatoes in cold water for 20 minutes or until soft.
In the meantime make a spice paste. Coarsely crush the cumin, coriander, black pepper and chillies in a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic and a good pinch of sea salt and pound. Add half the oil to make a paste.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and chuff them up so the edges can go really crispy in the oven.
Put a large roasting tray (enough so the potatoes will sit in one layer) directly on the hob, add the remaining oil and gently heat before tipping in the potatoes. Stir well and leave for one minute, then turn off the heat and add the spice paste. Toss the potatoes well to coat, then transfer the tray to the oven to cook and crisp up for around 20 minutes.
Chef Anjali Pathak's Secret: You can make extra spice paste and keep in your fridge for around a week. Or leave out the garlic and keep for around a month.