Masala Roast Potatoes

  “Po-Tay-Toes, boil them, mash them, put them in a stew!” the great Samwise Gamgee exclaimed when he tried to explain what taters are to the unaware Gollum. I myself am very acquainted with these rich starchy tubers. They were (and still are!) the assumed side for any rice dish like rasam-rice or sambar-rice to create a carb-y matrimony. 

In this recipe, I boil the potatoes in a salt water bath, allowing the salt to diffuse and season the potatoes within. The real magic comes from the roasted tomato-onion masala that coats the potatoes. The masala starts off a vibrant perky red from the Kashmiri chili powder and tomatoes but they soon roast and deepen in color creating a mahogany spiced varnish on top of the baby potatoes. A last squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh sprigs of cilantro brighten the dish!

Salting the water is important

I know this may seem like an absurd amount of salt that you are putting in the water, but doing so helps diffuse some of the seasoning into your potatoes. The rest of the salt is thrown out with the water!

Check your potatoes to ensure that they are boiled

Uncooked potato on the left vs. cooked potato on the right. You can see how the center of the uncooked potato is still a translucent brown whereas the cooked potato is creamy and yellowish-white throughout.

Really cook out your masala

You want to slightly cook out the water added in the recipe until it creates a thicker masala streak in your pan. The reason you simmer the water with the spices and tomatoes is to cook out the raw taste of the spices and tomatoes.

Potatoes at the beginning of the roasting process

This picture shows the potatoes at the beginning of the roasting process. You will notice how they are still a bright red color. To really develop flavor, allow the masala to roast at least for 10 minutes until the masala turns from a bright red to a deeper mahogany reddish-brown hue.

Potatoes after the roasting process

This is how dark you want to get the masala that encrusts the potatoes. As the masala roasts, add 1-2 Tbs of oil to release some of the masala that gets stuck to the bottom of your pan and prevent it from burning. All of that masala is flavor!

Masala Roast Potatoes

Shri Repp

Tender baby potatoes coated in a spice roasted tomato-onion masala.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1 lb baby gold potatoes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 4-6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 1 red onion 200g - medium - finely chopped
• 1 tomato 120g - finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to season
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 sprigs cilantro for garnish
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1.5 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

 

Boil Potatoes

1. Place 1 lb baby gold potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of sea salt to the water and bring the salty potato bath to a boil. Having salted water ensures that your potatoes will be seasoned as they cook! 
2. Once water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high to bring to a simmer, and boil potatoes until they are cooked and tender. This will take between 10-15 minutes. You can test if your potatoes are cooked by trying to pierce them with a fork. If you can pierce with little resistance, you know you are done. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Make Masala

1. Heat half of the 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, and 4-5 curry leaves to the oil until they start to sizzle and dance in the oil. This process, known as tempering the spices, imparts the flavors of the spices into the oil. Be careful not to burn your spices in this step, or your final product will be bitter.
2. Bring heat up to medium, add 4-6 garlic cloves (finely chopped) and 1 red onion (finely chopped) to tempered oil, and sauté until onions soften and become translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
3. Add 1 tomato (finely chopped), 1 tablespoon cumin powder, 1.5 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder,½ teaspoon sugar¼ teaspoon turmeric and 1 teaspoon sea saltMix to coat both the onions and the tomatoes in the spice blend. Add ½ cup of water to the tomato-onion mixture. Allow the water to evaporate and the raw tomato/masala flavor to be cooked out over 5-7 minutes. When you stir the mixture with the back of your spoon, it should leave a thick masala streak behind in the pan.

Roast Potatoes

1. Slice your baby potatoes in half. Turn pan to medium-high heat, add in potatoes and mix until the tomato onion mixture coats the potatoes. 
2. Leave potatoes in the pan for 10-12 minutes more for potatoes to form a deep mahogany red-brown masala crust on their edges. Add remaining half of 3 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan partway through the cooking process to release the roasting masala from the bottom of the pan.
3. Remove from heat and squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice from 1 lemon over the potatoes.
4. Taste, adjust for salt, and with 3-4 sprigs cilantro.

If you tried this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and star rating below! It makes my day and your feedback helps the blog immensely.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @moonriceshri so I can see your amazing creation!