Made chickpea curry with potato last night. Recipe called for less potato, but my potatoes were starting to become sentient beings so I had to put them to use… And who doesn’t love potatoes?!
Definitely on the spicy side, so I’d start with less cayenne and add more to taste. Probably didn’t help that I used Malaysian curry powder, but it was still delicious and not painful. I’d consider using a bit of coconut cream next time to make up more sauce and mellow the spice for a nice creamy texture.
Highly recommend using a waxy potato so it holds together.
It makes a lot of leftovers. I think the recipe says 5 servings, but it’ll do far more than that.
https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-chickpea-potato-curry-chana-aloo-curry/
I have not - I don’t have an air fryer, so I’ve just baked them in the oven. I’ve cubed or wedged them, tossed them in olive oil, sprinkle some seasoned salt on them, and eat it straight. If I’m feeling dippy, I mix together some mayo and sriracha.
Hasselbeck is SO GOOD. I also just love slicing potatoes about 0.5cm thick and baking them so they have crispy edges and soft on the inside.
I used to live near a historically Irish-immigration potato farming area, and they had the BEST potatoes. McCutcheon potatoes. I will always pick up 5-10kg when I happen to drive by. I never knew there were so many types of potato until I met my partner. It’s like a drug now.
Have you tried fondant potatoes? Was just reminded of them when I, like an addict, decided to look up different ways to eat potatoes.
I wonder what he might think about the variety in Peru, for example:
https://www.google.com/search?udm=2&q=variety+of+potatoes+in+peru
Uh, no! Hah, they look like scallops. Sounds really good though, and maybe I could use ghee instead of butter to make them.
I’ll ask him when he gets home, haha. But WOW that’s a lot of potatoes. Peru is on our bucket list, and I think we know where my money is going… I’m going to eat all the potatoes.
Re fondant potatoes: I know, right! But just looking at them makes me drool. I can only imagine how soft and creamy they are inside.
Somewhat like scalloped, perhaps, but probably more ‘focused,’ if that’s the word.
It can be a mixed bag, depending. Me, I’d say a combination of touristy-type issues, as well Peruvians not necessarily paying much attention to maintaining the cleanliness and beauty of various areas. Now one place I’ve never gone is in to the Amazon, which sounds like it could be truly fascinating. All that to say-- hopefully, y’all do your research ahead of time.
Well, potatoes wasn’t the main draw to go to Peru, haha. He and I are both mountain people, so climbing things was the top reason for wanting to head over to the Andes. Potatoes is a bonus.
We’ve only been to Brasil in South America, so we’re due to explore more of the continent. I’m not sure if I could bring myself to go to the Amazon. I’m the ultimate mosquito magnet, and I welt like mad as well. The trip would be incredible, but I would be miserable.
I hate kitchen appliances. They break. They take up space. They are difficult to properly clean. But someone gave us an air fryer. It was life changing. They put a perfect skin on any tube meat. They make potatoes crispy.
You gotta work in small batches but even then it can take less time than an oven, even a convection oven, because of that very close heat source.
Get yourself an air fryer. Throw out your toaster if you don’t have room. You can toast in a frying pan if you need to.
I had been considering one for ages, then decided against it because of bench space… But it would definitely be easier on the power bill and helps with portion control.
The man is Irish, he will NOT part with the toaster lol. The only thing that actually lives on the bench is the kettle and a fruit basket. Having a bench top air fryer would definitely help with not heating up the entire house when it’s 30C at 9AM, and then 45C by the time it’s 6PM…
Edit: On the top of air fryers, which one do you have and/or recommend?
I can’t recommend any specific model or company. I can recommend getting the largest basket size you can but avoiding anything in a toaster oven format. I looked at dozens of the toaster oven style and every single one failed basic design considerations. And was either wasting heat or creating a fire hazard. Basket design all the way.
As for appliances in general: bare bones bass models only. The more features something has, the more features there are to break and the way things are designed these days if one feature breaks, the entire thing is useless.
Ah, when I was previously looking, I was looking at the oven-type. The one that keeps popping up is the Phillips one, and I think it’s ugly af. I’ve seen the inside of some of them and people either don’t clean them or it’s not very easy to clean?
Good tip, thank you!
If you’re cooking things like tube meats and these things they are going to start pooling massive amounts of fat. The ability to remove the entire inside and put it in your sink is going to be vital to keeping it clean and no matter how easy it is to use a tray there is going to be fat that ends up in the bottom of the device. And those toaster oven format ones don’t always come with removable bottoms. And then there’s that glass window that’s also going to be a cleaning nightmare.
I really wanted the toaster oven format for large batches. But I just could not justify it after looking at all the details.
I hear ya. Thanks for all the tips! It’s just me and my partner, so really, how big of a unit do we need anyway.