Potato bhaji skins
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 1 to 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 6–8
These vegan-friendly party snacks are bursting with Indian flavours and have a spiced coriander yoghurt dressing.
Try these alongside Crystelle's delicious hoisin duck 'sausage' rolls.
Ingredients
For the roasted potatoes
- 7 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 4 large baking potatoes, sliced in half lengthways
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the bhaji
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 tsp black mustard seeds
- 40 fresh curry leaves
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 small brown onions, finely diced
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, grated
- 6 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 4 tsp caster sugar
- 6 tbsp red-skinned peanuts
- small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
- fine sea salt, to taste
For the coriander yoghurt dressing
Method
To make the roasted potatoes, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the turmeric, salt and pepper. Brush the potatoes with half of this oil and then place them, flesh-side down, in a large roasting tin and cook for 40 minutes, until soft and golden.
While the potatoes are roasting, make the bhaji. Place 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large frying pan over a low heat and heat gently until melted, then fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds for a couple of minutes until fragrant, taking care not to burn.
Add the onions to the pan and fry for 20–30 minutes, until browned, then add the ginger and garlic, stir through the turmeric and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Take the roasted potatoes, and, on the flat side, use a knife to score a crosshatch in the flesh (making sure not to cut all the way through), then use a metal spoon to scoop out the potato cubes, leaving a thin border of potato in the skins.
Brush the inside of the potato skins with the remaining turmeric oil, then return them to the oven and bake, skin-side down, for 20 minutes until crispy.
Add the cubed potato flesh to the onion mix and stir to combine. Fry for 3 minutes, until the potatoes are coated in all of the spices, then season well with salt and sugar to taste. Add a splash of water to loosen slightly if necessary – a few tablespoons should be enough.
In a separate frying pan, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over a high heat and fry the peanuts for about 4 minutes, until slightly browned. Once cooked, stir the peanuts through the bhaji mix along with the chopped coriander and remove from the heat but keep warm.
Finally, to make the coriander yoghurt dressing, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
To assemble, fill the crispy potato skins with large spoonfuls of the potato bhaji. Drizzle over the coriander dressing, then serve the remaining dressing in a small dish on the side.
