Crispy Tandoori Smashed Potatoes with Mustard Oil

These petite, creamy, crispy, perfectly baked, gluten-free Tandoori Smashed Potatoes with mustard oil are a real outburst of flavours.These spicy, chatpata(tangy) and masaledaar Indian spiced potatoes are baked to perfection!! The best smashed potatoes recipe!

There’s nothing not to love about these crispy tandoori smashed potatoes with mustard oil.…and the title pretty much tells you everything you need to know. These are a simple and quick make, and on top of it they are mouth-wateringly delicious and addicting.

Potatoes and tandoori masala is a combo of flavours that I just cannot get enough of, and while this dish is simple, and the flavours well-known, I feel like this recipe is just a little more special than all the rest out there. Fenugreek leaves and mustard oil are the two perfect ingredients to pair with this dish. It adds just the right amount of flavour without completely overpower everything else.

Then there’s the homemade tandoori masala. I feel like a lot of you might be thinking why go through so much effort of making your own spice mix, but it adds SO much to this recipe. Here’s how it works. Simply add all the spices in a small bowl, add a little mustard oil, fresh coriander, gram flour, grated ginger & garlic, salt and pepper. The mix then gets drizzled over the boiled potatoes, and mixed well. Guys, these ingredients together are just the best of the best in terms of flavour.

I used new baby potato, just try to find some that are all similar in size so they cook up at the same times. These potatoes work great to make in advance. Just boil them, smash them and then finish cooking just before you’re ready to serve. These are still almost as delicious at room temperature.

How to make the best Crispy Potatoes:

• Start by using petite gold or new potatoes – You want to use small or baby potatoes to make it easy to smash them with the bottom of a glass. If they are too large, they will just fall apart when you try to smash them. I love using new gold variety because of their creamy texture and thin skins. Thick, rough skin potatoes like russet are not the ideal for this dish.
• Parboiling – Place a large pot and fill with water. Season with a good bit of salt (about 1 tablespoon), add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and the baby potatoes. Place on high heat until boiling. Boil for about 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender (you should be able to poke a fork through easily). You want them to be soft enough to smash but not too soft.

• Make the Tandoori spice – by mixing all spices in a small mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp of the mustard oil and minces ginger and garlic and mix well. Add the gram flour or corn flour and mix till no lumps remain. Set aside.

• Drain the water and place in a colander to allow the steam to release for about 10 minutes – Get a large baking sheet ready.

• Drizzle the potatoes with the tandoori spice mix – Place potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet. Top with oil, crushed garlic, ginger, tandoori spice mix, lemon juice, and gram flour. Mix well. Make sure spices and oil get to each and every part of potatoes to get consistent crispiness and flavour. Spread all of them on a baking tray leaving about one-and-a-half-inch distance in between.  Carefully smash the them using the base of a glass, smash until flattened but still in one piece

• Bake in a 200°C oven for about 30-35 minutes – The potatoes should be golden brown, crispy and charred on the rough edges.  Depending on the level of desired crispiness. 

• Make the chimichurri sauce or coriander chutney – While the potatoes are baking, make the chimichurri sauce.
• When the potatoes are ready, transfer them to a serving plate, sprinkle with fresh coriander and mint. Serve with Coriander Chutney or chimichurri sauce.

What is Chirimurri Sauce:

Chimichurri is a classic sauce in the grilling world. It is a loose oil-based uncooked condiment used to accompany barbecued and grilled food. It can be used both as an ingredient for cooking or as a table condiment. Found in Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisines, the sauce comes in a green and red version. It is authentically made with finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar. But in todays recipe I have used coriander and mint as herbs to make this condiment.

Coriander chimichurri is a simple sauce that has about a zillion uses! This easy to make sauce can be used as salad dressing, dipping sauce for your grilled meats and veggies, as a marinade, and the list goes on. No matter how you choose to use it, this simple chimichurri sauce with cilantro will add a freshness and a major boost of flavour to all your dishes.

Helpful Tips and Tricks

• Before roasting, always parboil the potatoes in alkaline water until just tender. Alkaline water is simply water with a bit of baking soda in it — about 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for 1.5 litres of water. While the potatoes cook and tenderise to creamy goodness on the inside, the alkaline water also helps break the exterior of potatoes to break down, creating much more of the starchy slurry that leads to an extra-crisp exterior. 
• Let them steam dry well before roasting – I allow the potatoes to steam dry first in a colander, then once mashed, I spread them out a baking sheet and let them dry some more. Getting rid of maximum moisture will produce more crispy skin.
• Apply light but firm pressure when you smash the potatoes. You want them to become flatter but they do need to remain in tact.
• Use mustard oil or olive oil (if you don’t like the flavour of mustard oil) over butter. You need to toss the potatoes with some cooking fat before roasting. Butter will not give you crispiness, but if you really want a little butter for flavour, you can mix a little melted butter with mustard oil. Personally, I only use mustard oil in this recipe and it provides both the flavour and texture.
• When you smash the potatoes, go thinner for more crisp (but be sure to do this gently so that they remain intact).
• Place the potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer. Keep space between them on the baking sheet. This will help them to get nice and crispy. Use two baking sheets if necessary.
• Don’t be tempted to add more oil. You only need a little to achieve that delicious crispiness!

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Crispy Tandoori Smashed Potatoes with Mustard oil

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

• 18-20 small potatoes, (750 grams)
• 3.5 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp gram flour or corn flour

For the Tandoori Spice mix

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp amchur powder
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp fennel powder

For the Chirimurri Sauce

• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped 
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

method

1. Prepare potatoes by scrubbing and washing them under running water. Make sure there are no traces of dirt remain.
2. Boil the potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt (about 1tbsp), add the baking soda and potatoes. Stir. Let the water return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender and you can easily insert a knife in the potatoes (about 15 minutes after the water had returned to a boil). 
3. While the potatoes are boiling preheat oven on about 200°C | 400°F.  
4. Make the Tandoori spice - by mixing all spices in a small mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp of the mustard oil and minces ginger and garlic and mix well. Add the gram flour or corn flour and mix till no lumps remain. Set aside.
5. Drain. Using a colander, drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander for 5 to 10 minutes to dry. 
6. Coat the potatoes with the tandoori mix and Smash. Arrange the potatoes on a large, lightly oiled sheet pan.Top with tandoori mix and lemon juice. Mix well.  Using the base of a glass or a potato masher, lightly smash the potatoes making sure to keep them in one piece. The thinner you smash them, the crispier they will be. Let the potatoes sit to dry for another 5 to 10 minutes. Season the potatoes with a pinch of kosher salt and drizzle with the remaining 1.5 tbsp of mustard oil, making sure all the potatoes get some of the oil. Make sure the potatoes have about one-and-a-half-inch distance in between.
7. Roast. Roast on the middle rack of your heated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy (the rough edges will be charred).
8. Make the chirimurri sauce. While the potatoes are roasting, in a blender, or food processor, add the onions, chillies, garlic, coriander leaves, mint, vinegar, and 1/2 of the olive oil. Pulse to mince the ingredients. Add the remaining olive oil and gently stir to combine. Transfer the sauce to a mason jar and let it sit 20 minutes at room temp before serving. 
9. Season and serve. When the potatoes are ready, remove them from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil and chaat masala all over. And finish with the chopped coriander. Enjoy while still hot.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!