Does anyone not like roasted potatoes? Add an intoxicating blend of spices that will perfume your kitchen and wake up your taste buds, then make a refreshing sauce to dip the spicy, crisp potato wedges into, and it’s roasted potatoes taken to a new level.
Garam masala is a spice blend that varies across the Indian continent from region to region and household to household. Garam masala, made of roasted spices, has a rich, heady, yet mellow flavor and is usually added toward the end of a dish’s preparation to punch up the flavor. Once you gather the spices, you can easily make your own garam masala to have on hand in the cupboard, and you can customize it to your taste in the future. Homemade garam masala will keep for six weeks in a tightly lidded clean glass jar in a cool, dark place; for four months if refrigerated; and indefinitely if stored in the freezer. But for convenience, we’ve found that Kohinoor and Frontier Herbs and Spices both make tasty commercial garam masalas.
Yields ½ cup garam masala
Serves 4
Garam masala prep time: 5 minutes
Garam masala baking time: 30 minutes
Potato wedges and dip prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Potato roasting time: 40 minutes
Total time: about 80 minutes
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
Oil, for the baking sheet
½ pound white potatoes
½ pound sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons crushed or minced garlic
2 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed briefly to liquefy
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
*For this recipe, if using commercial garam masala, combine 2½ teaspoons garam masala with ½ tea-spoon ground turmeric.
Make the masala: Crush the cinnamon stick with a rolling pin into small pieces. Scatter all the spices, except the turmeric, on a pie plate or small baking pan. Roast at 200°F for 30 minutes. Shake or stir the spices once or twice during roasting. Remove from the oven, let cool briefly, and pulverize in a spice grinder until smooth. Stir in the turmeric.
Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
While the spices are roasting, scrub the potatoes; there is no need to peel if the skins are smooth and unblemished. Cut both white and sweet potatoes into ½-inch-wide wedges. Place the potato wedges in a large bowl and toss them with the minced garlic. In a small bowl, whisk the coconut oil with the salt and 1 tablespoon of the garam masala. (Store the remaining garam masala for future use.) Pour the spiced oil over the potatoes and toss with a rubber spatula to evenly coat.
Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking sheet, separating any potatoes that are touching. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 40 minutes; gently stir and turn over the potato wedges once or twice. When done, the potatoes will be crisp on the outside.
While the potato wedges are roasting, make the dip. Combine the yogurt, mint, and scallions in a small bowl, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve the potato wedges with the dip on the side.
These potato wedges would share a table nicely next to the Asian version of Herbed Baked Eggs in a Ramekin, or after Chilled Curried Pea and Coconut Soup, with Monsoon Pickles nearby. Or they can be the star of a light meal accompanied by a refreshing salad, such as Greens with Citrus-Date Dressing or Sugar Snap Peas with Coconut and Lime.