Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yogurt and Tamarind

Let me just say, ‘party in your mouth’ is no exaggeration as far as this dish is concerned.

I just figured I’d be making another roast potato dish for our dinner. But I should have known better.  It is a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe after all.  This one totally lives up to the high expectations that I place on his recipes.  This is totally the uber roast potato recipe if ever there was one.

It is all the layers of flavours that are happening in this dish that take the final product to the stratosphere.  First of all, the potatoes themselves are dressed in the most fragrant combination of ingredients. This is my first time using Chaat Masala.  Why??? I have been missing out on a really fab spice blend.  It has a wonderful tang to it, thanks to anchoor, or dried mango powder.  The masala powder is combined with turmeric, olive oil and pepper.  Par boiled thickly sliced baby potatoes are tossed in this mixture and roasted in the oven till just tender.  The exterior gets wonderfully crispy, while the interior stays nice and fluffy.

While the potatoes are roasting, a simple cilantro, chile and lime chutney is whizzed up.  And then comes this amazing tamarind dressing.  I don’t use tamarind nearly enough.  But when the tamarind paste is combined with sugar, more chaat masala and a bit of water to create a dressing, it becomes the perfect balance of tangy and sweet.

Now it is time to plate.  Spread out some thick creamy plain yogurt on a platter.  Drizzle some of the cilantro and chilli chutney through the yogurt and give it a couple of good swishes.  Spoon some of the tamarind dressing over this yogurt base.  Next we’ll spread out all those crisped potato rings and thin ed onion rings over everything.  Drizzle with the remaining dressing, a thinly sliced green chilli, and cracked coriander and nigella seeds.  Seriously, you may not know what to expect.  I sure didn’t.  Till I snagged my first potato from the platter.  Oh my!!  There was the curry flavour, combined with the tang of the tamarind dressing, the bright heat from the chutney, and the soothing coolness of the yogurt.  I couldn’t stop.  Each bite revealed another layer of flavour.  Now I noticed the coriander seeds and their citrusy punch.  The chiles and the chutney gave it all such a fun zing.  Next thing I knew, I had eaten almost half of a platter that is intended to feed four!

Even cold it was amazing.  Jim came home late that evening and saw the remains of the platter.  He snatched a cold potato smooshed through the yogurt and chutney and popped it in his mouth.  His face lit up and said, “This is GOOD.”  “You should have tasted it when it was fresh!”  So I had to make it again.  I decided that I would make the entire recipe for just the two of us.  I broiled up some chicken thighs, and together with this potato dish, dinner was inhaled.  This dish is now going on the regular roster of Must Make Often! In fact, always make extra, you won’t regret it.

Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfridge have created a wondrous new book in Flavour.  If you are a fan of Plenty and Plenty More, this book needs to be in your collection.  All three celebrate vegetables in ways most of us could never have imagined.  In fact, Yotam considers this book a continuation of the Plenty series, referring to it as  P3, not just because it is the third book, but because this book focuses on three key areas that allow vegetables to shine: Process, Paring, and Produce. 

For Process they explore techniques such as Charring and Infusing, Browning (‘Browning means that for the home cook, things smell better, taste more complex..flavor exploses with it’s browned, flying into all sorts of new places”) and even Ageing, which we may not always associate with vegetables themselves. From the Aging section of the book I tried the Sweet and Sour Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Grapes.  The aging happens as the ingredients are roasted off in a wondrous sauce of bay leaves, maple syrup, olive oil, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce, and then left to marinate in it after the roasting, which of course releases all the fabulous juices from the grapes , shallots and garlic.  Green chiles and roasted sprouts are added to this mix and the final dish is tossed with rice wine vinegar, sugar and parsley.  Mind blowing!

The pairing section is my favourite, because in true Ottolenghi fashion, we get that fabulous process of layering contrasting tastes and textures, sweet with the tangy and salty, acidic or heat, like the idea of a sweet slice of pineapple sprinkled with salt and chilli= flavor explosion! In this section I baked off a Butternut, Orange and Sage Galette, where savoury caraway seeds, garlic and sage combine with maple syrup and mascarpone to make the sweetness of the squash and carrots shine.  Today’s Chaat Masala Potatoes showcase the Acidity pairing of tamarind, lime and chaat masala to bounce off the yogurt and curried potatoes.  Up until now I had no idea I adored that tang from the chaat masala.  Going to use it often!

Of course, in Produce, we get to know and use vegetables in all sorts of new ways.  What they do with a mushroom is fantastic!  So yes, they cover breakfasts, mains, even sweets with the recipes in this book, and you will definitely find new favourites in here.  Highly recommend! 

In the meantime, make these potatoes!  About these potatoes.  This is really a dish about layers of flavour. And many of the components can be made in advance and then assembled just before serving.  So, this dish can be much easier than the just looking at the recipe may first indicate.  I will try and point out all the advance prep that you can make.  When it comes to the chutney and tamarind dressing, make double, and use throughout the week in sandwiches, wraps, on eggs etc.  They will each keep in the fridge for a good two weeks.

I am sharing this recipe with permission from Appetite Random House, Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage.

Love Jen

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Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yogurt and Tamarind

This punchy and kicky potato dish is a riff on an Indian street food classic. The flavours are wonderfully intense, with a balance of sweet, sour, and a bit of crunch as well. This makes a great side to grilled meats.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chaat masala, green chutney, potatoes, tamarind, turmeric

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb 10 oz 750 grams baby new potatoes, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch/ 1 cm thick slices
• salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• black pepper

Cilantro Chutney

• 1 1/2 cups 30 grams cilantro
• 1 green chile seeded and roughly chopped (2 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 cup 60 ml olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sweet Tamarind Dressing

• 4 1/2 tsp store-bought tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 tsp superfine sugar
• 1/4 tsp Chaat masala
• 1 1/2 tsp water

Final Dish

• 1 cup 250 grams greek yogurt
• 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 green chile thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds toasted
• 1 1/2 tsp nigella seeds toasted

Instructions

Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 450F (220C) and ine a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the potatoes and 2 tsp salt into a medium pot and cover with cold water by about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) Place the pot on medium high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 6 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost cooked through but still have some resistance. Drain these through a sieve and pat them dry. Transfer them to the baking sheet. Toss them with the olive oil, chaat masala, turmeric, 1/4 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. Roast, stirring about once or twice for 35 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Chutney

1. In a bowl of a small food processor, combine the cilantro, chopped chile, lime juice, olive oil and salt, and whiz till smooth. Set aside. This can be made earlier in the day and stored in the fridge.

Dressing

1. In a small bowl whisk together the tamarind paste, sugar, chaat masala, and water till combined. Set aside. This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.

Assemble

1. Spread the greek yogurt on a large round serving platter. Top with dollops of the chutney, swirling it together artistically with a spoon (don't completely blend together, the yogurt should still be visible)
2. Drizzle with some of the dressing over the yogurt mixture.
3. Layer the potatoes evenly over the yogurt mixture. Top these with the red onions and sliced green chile. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and then sprinkle with the coriander and nigella seeds.

Recipe Notes

You can toast the coriander seeds and nigella seeds in advance.
Make the chutney and dressing in advance and store in the fridge till needed.  In fact double the recipes for each of these components and use them in sandwiches, wraps, or spoon over eggs etc.  They will last in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

This will mean that you are really only par-boiling and roasting the potatoes in advance, and then asssembling everything.