Serves: 4 - Time:
Chaat masala is one of those spice blends I turn to time and time again to pep up food. It’s a mix of lots of spices including amchoor, asafoetida, cumin, pomegranate and Himalayan black salt. The latter is, for me, the most important flavour as it gives the blend its distinctive eggy taste. One commentator described this black salt as funky which I think sums up the taste perfectly. I would also have a pot of chaat masala on the side for dipping. I love the slight fruitiness that membrillo (quince paste) gives the pungent aioli, which I think works very well with the potatoes.
Ingredients
- For the aioli
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 25g membrillo (quince paste), roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 250ml light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon really good extra-virgin olive oil
- For the potatoes
- 650g maincrop potatoes- Maris Piper, Rooster or similar- washed and cut into wedges
- 600g sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 teaspoons chaat masala
Method
- For the membrillo aioli, put the egg yolks, mustard, one teaspoon lemon juice, membrillo paste, a good pinch of salt and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor. Blend the ingredients and with the motor running slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the aioli is really thick. Add a tablespoon of cold water if it is too thick. Taste and season with a little more salt and the extra teaspoon lemon juice if necessary. Spoon into a bowl and chill until you are ready to eat.
- Heat the oven to fan 190°c, mark 6. Put the maincrop potatoes into a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the wedges are almost cooked through. Drain well through a colander and shake gently to rough up the surface of the potatoes a little. Tip into a large roasting tin or lipped baking tray which has been lined with non-stick baking parchment. Add the sweet potato wedges and drizzle over the olive oil. Toss the potatoes to coat them in the oil.
- Bake in the top of the oven for 30 minutes. Take the potatoes out of the oven and sprinkle over 3 teaspoons of the chaat masala. Return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and golden. Sprinkle over the remaining teaspoon of chaat masala and serve immediately with the membrillo aioli.
