Recipe 46: 5 Potato Recipes If You Just Can’t Get Enough Of The Humble Aloo

Aloo for breakfast, aloo for lunch, aloo for snack, and then aloo for dinner – can we ever have enough of this veggie?! From our desi Aloo Parathas, Tikkas and Tandoori Aloo to the pies, casseroles, salads and pancakes from the other parts of the world, no one can resist the sheer versatility of the humble aloo. 

Know more about these 5 easy peasy recipes with aloo that you can try your hands on.

1. Garlic Potato Wedges

• 3 large potatoes
• ⅓ cup or 80 ml olive oil or any other oil of your choice
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp paprika
• ½ cup or 55 gm parmesan cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.
2. Cut the potatoes in the shape of wedges – thin and long.
3. Deep dry the potato pieces in oil.
4. Place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

2. Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic (crushed)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2¼  pounds potatoes
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Meanwhile, rub half of the crushed garlic on the inside of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch casserole dish and allow it to rest till it dries. Next, repeat the same with half of the butter.
3. Slice the potatoes as thin as possible, manually or with a vegetable slicer.
4. Blend butter, garlic, pepper, salt, and nutmeg evenly on the potatoes. 
5. Bring this to a boil and then reduce the gleam to medium-high and keep stirring for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
6. Pour this into the baking dish and give it a good shake, so the mixture is evenly distributed.
7. Bake it, blasting it occasionally, for an hour or till the time it turns golden brown and bubbly.
8. After taking the dish out of the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes  before serving.

3. Aloo Tandoori

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 gms baby / regular potatoes
• ½ cup hung yoghurt
• 3 tbsp light cream or 1 tbsp whipping cream (optional)
• 1 tbsp besan (gram flour)
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• 1½ to 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chaat masala powder
• 1 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder
• ½ tsp dry kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) – optional
• ⅛ tsp haldi (turmeric powder) – optional
• 1 to 2 drops natural colour orange extract – optional
• Black salt or regular salt (add as required)
• 3 tsp oil (if pan frying, add as needed)
• Oil as required, if grilling

Method

• Parboil the potatoes.
• Cook the potatoes in a 2-litre pressure cooker on medium-high heat for one whistle.
• Open the lid after the pressure falls and drain all the water.
• Keep the potatoes aside and let them cool down for a while.
• Peel the potatoes once they become warm. If they are large, cut them into half.
• Cook the potatoes in a pan.

For preparing yoghurt marination

• Take the yoghurt in a mixing bowl add carom seeds, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, red chilli powder, chaat masala, fenugreek leaves, coriander powder, turmeric, and salt. Give this a good mix.
• Next, add gram flour and light cream, and again mix well.
• Adjust the salt and pepper as per your taste.
• Add the peeled potatoes in this marination.

Grilling

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Heat the oven to 250°C and place the tray for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Thread the potato pieces on bamboo skewers and put them on a baking tray. 
• Now, grill the potatoes at the same temperature for 20 to 25 minutes or till the potatoes become golden brown and are charred in a few places. Remove the potatoes once or twice, turn them over, brush them with a little oil lightly, and place them back in the oven.

Frying

• Heat 3 tbsp in a shallow frying pan.
• Coat each piece of tikka with the marination and fry them in the hot oil in batches on medium-low to medium heat.
• When one side of the tikkas on the pan become golden brown and crisp, turn each one of them and repeat the same process.
• Transfer the tikkas onto a couple of tissue papers to soak in the oil, after frying each batch.
• Aloo tikka is ready to be served with onion, lemon slices, and mint chutney. 

4. Roasted Aloo

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 potatoes medium-sized
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp sambar powder
• 1 pinch hing (asafoetida), optional
• 10 to 12 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Steam or boil chopped potatoes till al dente, not not till it falls apart.
2. Drain out the water and let them cool down.
3. Once they are warm, cut them into pieces.
4. Heat oil in a pan and crackle some mustard seeds on low heat.
5. Add curry leaves and saute them for a few seconds till you get its aroma.
6. Add the potatoes and give it a good stir.
7. Add the spices, hing and salt, and mix well again to ensure that the spices cover the potatoes evenly.
8. Saute the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes on low heat, and keep turning them at regular intervals, so they don’t get over-cooked and also get roasted evenly on all sides.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves, if you want, and serve with dal rice, sambhar rice, ir rasam rice, or have it as a chatpati chakna over a few drinks.

5. Potato Pie

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2¼  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup shortening
• ¼ cup butter
• 3½ to 4 tbsp cold water

For the filling

• 7 cups sliced peeled potatoes
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ cup cream

Method

1. Take a mixing bowl and combine flour, sugar, and salt. 
2. Add the melted butter and water and mix lightly but thoroughly.
3. Make a doubt out of the mixture and cut it into half.
4. On a slightly floured surface, roll out one half of the dough, big enough to fit a 9-inch baking pan.
5. Now, for the filling, combine potatoes, pepper, onion, salt, and parsley.
6. Spoon the filling into the crust and then dot with butter. 
7. Roll out the other half of the dough as the top crust and then place it over the filling.
8. Make slits in the top crust, so that the entire pie gets thoroughly and evenly cooked.
9. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour. 
10. Pour cream over the slits on the top crust and place it back into the oven for 25 minutes or until the potato stuffing is tender.
11. Keep aside and let it cool down for 5 minutes and, voila, your Potato Pie is ready to be served. 

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