Spicy curried potatoes

Health-0-meter: 3/5 (5 being healthiest)
Ease: 1/5 (5 being difficult)

I love potatoes. Hand me a freshly baked, salted and peppered potato and I will be your friend forever. A little S&P goes a long way, but it can get boring, which is where our good friends the spices step in!

While in Vegas, I happened to eat at an Indian restaurant and tasted something similar to this dish. It was pretty bland in my opinion, but it inspired me to make a more flavorful version. So, here it is! This is incredibly simple to prepare. It really doesn't need any culinary skill at all, which is why it's in my go-to recipe box when I'm out of ideas for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 medium or large potatoes
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (available at any Indian grocery store)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 green chillies, chopped
• 2 tsp Cumin & Coriander powder (1 tsp of each if you have the individual powders; Coriander is also known as Cilantro)
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp finely chopped Cilantro
• 1/2 tsp salt (more or less, depending on your taste)
• 2.5 tsp vegetable oil

1. Boil potatoes until fork tender. Cut into bite size pieces.

2. Place the oil in a skillet or wok and heat to high temp. Olive oil isn't the best choice of oil here as it has a low boiling point, meaning that high heat will cause it to scorch. Once the oil is hot, place the mustard and cumin seeds in the oil. The mustard seeds should sputter; once they're mostly done, add the green chillies and saute for a few seconds.

3. Add potato cubes to the oil. Gently stir potatoes so that they are all covered in the oil. Fry for 30 seconds, before gently stirring again. Once potatoes have browned on one side, add the remaining spices, except for the minced cilantro. Make sure the spices are evenly distributed; let potatoes sit for 4-5 minutes.

4. Add minced cilantro and gently stir to distribute. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Serve warm with rice or roti/naan.

Tips & Tricks: I cook potatoes in a pressure cooker (30 minutes total cooking time, 5 - 7 minutes on high heat, with the remainder at medium heat). After the potatoes are cooked, place them in the fridge for 5 - 10 minutes. When they are a little cooler, it is easier to remove the skins without getting potato flesh all over your hands. Potatoes cooked this way keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If mustard seeds are unavailable, they can be omitted. The flavor will be slightly different, but still delicious.

Calories:

*Calculations made with 2 medium and 1 large Russet potatoes. This makes enough for three generous 1/2 cup servings.

Potatoes: 625
Canola oil: 100
Spices: 25
Total: 750 calories, one serving: 250 calories