After a cooking slump, I finally had inspiration the other night. There was leftover curried roasted chicken in the fridge, and it demanded a side that could stand up to the flavour. I love potatoes and wish that they could be a component of every meal, but it’s been a while since I actually featured them as a side dish. These smashed potatoes are reminiscent of Trio’s fantastic potato wedges (if you’re in Ottawa, give Trio a visit – all their food is excellent and their cocktails are delicious). We’d just returned from a trip to Anguilla, and had some wonderful curry powder from the Island Spice and Tea Shop begging to be used. I tossed the potatoes with a butter-curry powder mixture after boiling and then roasted them for a crisp, french fry-like texture. While the flesh of the potatoes was quite creamy in texture, they seemed to demand a little something extra, so I made a chipotle-curry-lemon yogurt dip to accompany them.

Smashed Curried Cilantro Potatoes

1 kg baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp curry powder

2 generous pinches kosher salt

a few grinds of black pepper

a handful of cilantro, rinsed well and spun dry

Add potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.

While waiting for water to boil, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Whisk the curry powder into the melted butter. Place a clean, lint-free dishtowel on the counter.

Boil the potatoes for about 13 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and immediately transfer potatoes to the clean dishtowel. With another clean dishtowel, press firmly but gently on potatoes until they burst. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Toss with butter-curry powder mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle cilantro over the potatoes.

Roast potatoes for about 40 minutes, or until golden and crispy and very fragrant.

Note: Add more flavour by stirring finely grated lemon zest into the butter-curry powder mixture.

While potatoes are roasting, you can make the yogurt dip:

Chipotle-Curry-Lemon yogurt dip

1/3 cup greek yogurt

1 chipotle, minced

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp freshly grated lemon rind

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and serve alongside the potatoes.