Potato wedges, Indian style

This twist on potato wedges isn't as loopy an idea as you may initially think. It was inspired by a recipe in one of my favourite cooking books, Camellia Panjabi's 50 Great Curries of India. This little book has done more than any other to increase my understanding of Indian cuisine and curries.

Anyway, enough praise for Ms. Panjabi's writings. She has a recipe for potatoes that are briefly boiled in turmeric-infused water and then fried in chilli- and coriander-infused oil. While her method of cooking is the undeniably more authentic way of preparing Indian 'potato wedges', I prefer to roast my potato wedges.

Ingredients:

500 g small potatoes, cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp amchoor (mango powder)
1/2 tsp coriander, freshly ground
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp hot curry powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
sea salt
oil



Pre-heat oven to 220*C.

Place the potatoes, tumeric and a pinch of sea salt in a saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes or until potatoes can be easily speared with a skewer.

Meanwhile, prepare the seasoning. Combine all of the spices, plus a little sea salt, in a cup or other small vessel. Lightly oil an oven tray and scatter the crushed garlic cloves over it. When the potatoes are able to be speared with a skewer, take them off the heat and drain. Add the potatoes to the tray. Toss in the oil and spice mix. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning every so often.

Potato wedges

Yeah. Potato wedges. I make my own. Those frozen ones you buy, they're just crap, really. My potato wedges go well as a side for steak, but you could also serve them at a party as finger food.

First up, you need to buy the right kind of potato. Use Sebago potatoes. For the Australians reading this, the 'brushed potatoes' available at many supermarkets and green grocers are Sebago potatoes. Now, if you're serving these as a side, about one decent-sized potato per person is the way to go

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C.

Give the potatoes a good rinse and then slice them into wedges. Drop the wedges into a saucepan. Fill saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes, add a pinch of sea salt and then bring to the boil over a medium-high flame. Reduce the temperature. Cook for maybe seven further minutes or until you can easily drive a skewer through the potatoes. Drain the potatoes and pour them into a roasting pan. Take care to pick a pan of the right size. The wedges shouldn't be piled on top of each other, yet at the same time there shouldn't be massive gaps between them. Toss the potato wedges in sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be generous. Throw three or four crushed garlic cloves into the pan, before tossing everything in a little olive oil. You could, if wanted to experiment, use a little duck fat instead. Certainly it's not worth buying some specially for potato wedges, of all things, but if you have some on hand you may as well give it a go.

Place the potato wedges in the oven for 25 minutes, removing regularly to turn and toss. Just before serving, give a final sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.