Smashed Potatoes with Mixed Seeds Tadka
Smashed Potatoes with Mixed Seeds Tadka
Smashed Potatoes with Mixed Seeds Tadka is a highly addictive snack or a side for your dinner gathering. They are great accompaniments with tea as well! The smashed potatoes are inspired by a dry potato sabji commonly eaten in Gujarati and Maharashtrian households - sukhi bhaaji. In fact, a lot of Indian communities have a variation of it. I did not have shredded coconut at hand, but that would be a spectacular garnish for these!
YOU WILL NEED
2.27 lbs (1030g) baby or regular gold potatoes (use thin skinned potatoes if you want to roast them with skin)
1 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/8 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 tbsp flaky sea salt
2 tbsp high-smoke point oil + more for brushing baking tray
2 tsp powdered sugar
For Tadka/Tempering
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 slit green chilies
8-10 fresh curry leaves
METHOD
Wash the baby potatoes to remove dirt. In a large pot/dutch oven, add the potatoes and submerge them completely in water. Add 3 tbsp salt and turmeric, stir well. Taste the water - it should be salty. Adjust salt if required. Cook until the potatoes are soft - when you pierce a fork through it, it should insert smoothly without any resistance. This should take 20-30 minutes, more or less depending on the size of potatoes.
If using regular gold potatoes, cut them in half to make the boiling faster.
Preheat the oven to 390 °F.
Drain the potatoes and let them dry. For thin-skinned potatoes, you can keep the skin on. Our household doesn’t like skin, so I peeled them.
Half the potatoes and place them on an oil-greased tray. Smash them with a large fork, smasher or like I did, with hands. I find that the most convenient, since you can shape them as you go. Once smashed, let them air dry for 5-10 mins - this is an important step to achieve crispy potatoes! Drizzle little oil and sea salt.
Bake them for 45 minutes or until deep golden. You can continue to bake longer based on desired crispiness.
Boiled, Peeled Baby Potatoes
Smashed Potatoes on Baking Tray
Roasted Potatoes with Crispy Edges
Place the roasted smashed potatoes on a serving platter. Sprinkle 2 tsp powdered sugar over the hot potatoes and sea salt, and move to the final step - adding tadka.
TADKA/TEMPERING
Ensure that you have a lid or plate around - adding curry leaves to the tadka will cause the oil to splutter vigorously.
Prepare the tempering/tadka by heating a small pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp oil and 1tsp mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add 2 slit green chilies. Turn off the heat and hold the oil in one hand, close to the pan. Quickly add sesame seeds and curry leaves, lifting the lid just slightly to contain the oil splutter . Cover immediately. The leaves will continue to crackle for a few seconds. Once it settles, spoon over the tadka over the smashed potatoes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro - more is more here :D And serve!
PREPARE AHEAD
You can prepare the Smashed Potatoes in advance, prepare everything until the tadka step; leave out the tadka for the end/day of the event. Refrigerate the roasted smashed potatoes. Thaw them to room temperature the day of the meal, and warm them on low broil.
