Priya's Indian-ish Baked Potatoes

Photo by:

Mackenzie Kelley

Of all the places my mom has traveled for work, her favorite will always be London—the cobblestone streets, the limitless sights, the walkability, and, most important, the pubs. She spent a lot of time in pubs on early ’90s London business trips, and the only vegetarian dish (this was back when she was strictly veg) was very often a baked potato. This is where she discovered the ingenuity of filling a soft, steamy potato with all kinds of tasty toppings that absorb nicely into the starchy flesh. In this recipe, she subs out the big potato for smaller, thin-skinned ones (for a prettier presentation); and the bacon bits and chives and packaged cheese for spicier, brighter toppings: chiles, chaat masala, onions, and ginger. This dish takes almost no time to put together once the potatoes are baked, but looks very impressive as an appetizer or a small side. Also of note: The backdrop for this photo is the sari my mom was wearing when she first met my dad (right before their arranged marriage a week later). My heart melted a little when Mom told me that.

Ingredients

1 pound small new potatoes or baby red potatoes (about 12)
Kosher salt
¼ cup sour cream
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
2 small Indian green chiles or serrano chiles, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Chaat Masala
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (stems and leaves), for Garnish

Methods

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until they can easily be pierced with a fork. Let the potatoes cool until they can be handled.
Without cutting all the way through to the bottom, slice each potato into four sections. Use your hands to push down and pull apart the four sections, like a blooming flower. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of each potato, followed by 1 tablespoon of the sour cream. Evenly divide the ginger, onion, green chiles, and chaat masala among the potatoes. Make it rain with chopped cilantro and serve.