Indian Spiced Baby Potatoes

What to do with a 1 lb bag of gorgeous, organic baby red potatoes?


I have been eyeing this recipe for Baby Potato Roast on Relish the Bite forever and so I used it as my inspiration for this dish. Many of the spices she uses will not be familiar or easy to find for many people and I already have my own spices that I like to use so I made quite a few changes. Also, I thought some beluga lentils would be nice so they could get a bit crispy and add some protein so those were added to the mix as well but this delicious recipe was the inspiration for my own Indian Spiced Baby Potatoes.

Earth Fresh Foods asked me if I would come up with a recipe using their Organic Red Baby Potatoes if they sent me a bag, so, of course, I said yes. Earth Fresh are Canadian producers of premium potatoes, carrots and onions but they specialize in potatoes, sourcing their products in 9 Provinces and 38 States. These are some nice potatoes and you can find them at Longos and Metro.

Because they are baby potatoes, they have lovely, thin skins and since they are also organic, it would be a crime to peel them. I used my pressure cooker to cook the potatoes and the lentils but you can steam them or boil them, just make sure that you cook them until they are just a smidge underdone so that they won't overcook after you fry them.

Bottom line, these are addictive little flavour bombs and I love how the black lentils get a little bit crispy. You can adjust the heat by adding more chili flake or you can remove the heat by not adding it at all. They would be great served with a little raita too.

*Obviously, I got the potatoes for free as well as a nice little gift package to thank me for my time

Indian Spiced Baby Potatoes

1 lb red baby potatoes (I used Earth Fresh Organic)
1/2 cup dried beluga lentils
1/4 tsp tumeric

2 tsp flour
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp chili flake
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika

3 tbls butter
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp black mustard seed
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 clove grated garlic
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
handful of cilantro, chopped

Lentils:
Put the lentils in the pot of the pressure cooker with 2 1/2 cups water, a pinch of kosher salt and cook on HP for 7 minutes, 10 minutes NPR.
You can also cook in a pot for about 15 minutes.
When cooked, drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside

Add 1/4 tsp tumeric and a pinch of kosher salt to 1 cup of water and pour into your pot with the potatoes. Cook at HP for 3 minutes, QR.
You can also steam or boil the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove.

Mix the flour, cumin, kosher salt, chili flake, coriander and paprika and toss the cooked potatoes with this in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat and when it's foaming, add the fennel and mustard seeds and fry until they pop. Now add in the ginger, garlic and onion and fry until it starts to brown. Now add in the potatoes and the lentils Fry for a minute, stirring the whole time, turn the heat down to med low,  add 1 tbls of water, cover the pan for a couple of minutes. Remove the lid, turn up to med/high, sprinkle with garam masala and continue to fry the potatoes for a few more minutes, scraping up all the good bits on the bottom of the pan.

Serve with fresh cilantro.