Potato masala: the antidote to boring, bland potatoes
A deceptively easy recipe that packs a flavour punch
This recipe for potato masala is my antidote to boring, bland potatoes.
When it comes to potatoes, they need to pop because, unless they are fried into chips or cooked with spices, I find potatoes deeply boring.
I know many people love potatoes and consider them the ultimate comfort food. Yet, I can’t muster up the enthusiasm to start cooking potatoes if all I’m going to do is add a bit of butter and salt.
I’m haunted by memories of my school dinners. I lived in dread of the weekly helping of mashed potatoes. School mash was served up dry and lumpy, likely to get stuck in your throat. It was always accompanied by a tedious minced meat pie and green beans boiled to a pale, sickly green.
And then there was Smash. This 1970s "wonder food" found its way into our kitchen because it negated the need for boiling and peeling potatoes. As kids, we fell for the charm of the Smash aliens, who popped up on our TV screens to convince us to eat rehydrated potato granules, trading flavor and nutrition for convenience.
Nowadays, if I’m going to make potatoes, my style is to rev up the flavor and make them pop.
This potato masala recipe is deceptively easy and quick to make. The dals, which don’t need pre-soaking, and the cashew nuts give this dish a pleasant and satisfying crunch. You need to add this recipe to your collection for those times when you want your potatoes to pack a flavor punch.
Make potato masala to stuff your freshly made dosa, serve as a side with a plateful of curries, or enjoy it with a fried egg and a generous dollop of lime pickle.