Bombay Potatoes - spicy golden crunch

Golden potatoes, rolled in whole spices and oven roasted for a warming crunch

Bombay Potatoes (vegan)

Just spectacular. The family gobbled them up and would have eaten twice the portions. Another lesson in why the simplest things are often the best.

This is a dish you find all over India, so I don’t know why Bombay, now Mumbai, became specifically associated with them.  Every family and every restaurant have their own way of doing it – some recipes are more roasted, some have more sauce, some include tomatoes and some don’t. I make a potato and spinach curry that has more sauce, so I decided to make this one dry and crispy. The whole spices are quite important as they give flavour and a little crunch to the dish.

Serves 4               Timings 90 minutes although you can boil the potatoes beforehand
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• 750g potatoes, peeled and cut into dice about 3cm on a side
  
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
  
• 1 teaspoon mild curry powder (or whatever your choice is)
  
• 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  
• Vegetable oil for frying

Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes in water with the teaspoon of turmeric added – the water will turn bright yellow and so will the cut surfaces of your potatoes. Try to avoid splashing the water on your kitchen work surfaces as it will stain. Drain the potatoes – they should be tender but not falling apart.

Heat your oven to 205°C. 

In a large oven proof pan or metal oven tray, gently fry the whole spices in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until they release their fragrance – about 2 minutes.

Tip the potatoes into the pan and mix well, sprinkling over the garam masala, curry powder and a generous pinch of salt.

Put the roasting tin into the oven for 45 minutes. Every now and then turn the potatoes with a spatula to ensure all the surfaces get crispy.

Serve either as a side dish to another meal or on their own with some fresh relishes and chutneys.