I recently took an Indian cooking class where we made homemade samosas with chutney. If you are not familiar with samosas they are the most delicious savory pastries filled with potatoes, peas, Indian spices and often have ground meat as well. They are fried and served with the most vibrant and refreshing tasting “chutney” (which is really just a fancy word for dipping sauce). I fell in love with how amazing this chutney tasted and wanted to find a healthier way to enjoy it. The solution was so simple. Potatoes are a healthy and natural carbohydrate, it is how you prepare them that can make them bad for you. (Like deep frying of course.) I cook the potatoes under the broiler to get them perfectly crispy and slightly charred on the outside but soft in the middle. With the right amount of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of smoky paprika on top they are as tasty as French fries minus almost all of the guilt.
You can serve these as a side item with any meal or even as an appetizer with toothpicks for dipping the potatoes in the chutney. Full disclosure, I pour a healthy serving of the chutney on top of my plate of potatoes. However, when I took photographs it did not translate as appetizing as it tasted so I opted for showing the two ingredients separately. Having said this, I promise the saltiness and crunch of the potatoes combined with the incredibly fresh and tangy sauce is the yummiest and most perfect pairing. The chutney is equally delicious on grilled chicken or even as a spread on sandwiches. It goes perfectly with meats and I bet would be awesome on seafood as well. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
RECIPE TUNES (because everything is always better with music)
Blurry Eyes (feat. Runn) by Hotel Garunda • On Hold by The xx • Walk Over Me by The All-American Rejects
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large potatoes or any variation of your choice that are smaller equivalent to approx. 3 large ones (See picture in recipe of the ones I used when I made it this last time for a visual reference.)
- salt and pepper to season
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- smoked paprika to sprinkle on top of potatoes when they are finished (this is optional)
For the Chutney
- 1 shallot peeled and finely diced
- 1 cup mint leaves, chopped
- 2 cups cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger or tubed purée of ginger
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp mustard seed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed recommended but not required)
LETS COOK!
- Cut your potatoes into small-bite sized pieces. (Below is a picture of the ones I used when I made it last. The bigger-looking ones are actually medium-small in size which is why I used so many.)
- Put the potatoes in a bowl and drizzle olive oil on top to lightly coat them. Add a large pinch of salt and pepper and mix it all together. NOTE: Only use as much oil as you need to coat all of your potatoes without saturating them. Depending on how many pieces of potatoes you have you may not use all the oil.
- Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spread out your potatoes on it and place them under the broiler for 12 minutes. Pictures below are of the uncooked potatoes and then what they look like after 12 minutes.
- Toss your potatoes so the ones that are brown are turned over and put back in for 10-15 minutes. (Until the insides are soft. You have to taste to know – just be careful not to burn your tongue.) Below is what they will look like when finished.
- Set aside potatoes to cool.
- Dice your shallot.
- Chop your mint and your cilantro. Cilantro pictured below. Mint can be chopped to same consistency. (NOTE: When chopping cilantro you CAN include stems, they do not change the flavor as parsley or others herbs would. For the mint you do not want to include stems though.)
- Add all of the ingredients listed above for the chutney into a food processor and pulse a great deal until it is finely combined and almost a puréed consistency as seen in this photo.
- Place potatoes on a dish and either top with your chutney or serve it on the side.
ENJOY!!
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