Indian Spiced Roasted Potatoes

We're so pleased to have Maddie Day visiting again. This recipe has me drooling.  I think we're having potatoes for dinner! Maddie is the author of the Country Store mystery series and she's giving away a copy of STRANGLED EGGS AND HAM today. Don't forget to leave a message to enter!







Thanks for having me back on this yummy blog! Strangled Eggs and Ham takes place during a steamy southern Indiana August.

While Robbie scrambles through breakfast orders South Lick, Indiana, tempers run as high as the sticky August heat. A developer’s plans to build a towering luxury resort at one of the most scenic hilltops in Brown County infuriates opponents, who concoct protests and road blockades. When tensions boil over and a vocal protester is silenced forever at the resort site, Robbie ditches the griddle to catch the killer. But if slashed tires are any indication, she’ll need to crack this case before her own aunt gets served something deadly next . . . 
Robbie Jordan and her two assistant cooks scramble to find specials to offer during the heat wave. Her assistant Turner Rao learned this recipe from his Indian grandmother – and the weather is plenty hot in India – and he makes it for a breakfast special at Pans ‘N Pancakes, Robbie’s country store restaurant.

Readers: What’s your favorite Indian food? How about a breakfast special? I’d love to send a signed copy of the new book to one commenter.

Ingredients

3 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 pounds small red potatoes, halved (about 8 cups)
1 3/4 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a rimmed baking sheet.

Toss the potatoes with one tablespoon oil and set aside. (Note: Robbie cuts the potatoes smaller and parboils them the night before so they won’t need as long to cook in the morning, but that step isn’t necessary.)

Heat remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add ginger, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, turmeric, and Garam Masala; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add spice mixture to potatoes, tossing to coat. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast for 40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, or until potatoes are browned and tender.
Stir in cilantro, mint, and juice before serving. Serve the cilantro separately if some of your diners don’t like it.

Macavity and Agatha-nominated author Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, as well as award-winning short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she authors the Country Store Mysteries and the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries. She also wrote two Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker). Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Authors.

You can find her at www.edithmaxwell.com, @edithmaxwell, and on Facebook.