Siddha Alur Bhala (Blackened Spicy Home Fries)

Cookgirl's Note:

From veganfood.net. First things first: this is spicy! A little bit of rearranging on my part here and there. Requires a bit of preparation, but worth it. Boil the potatoes the evening before or first thing in the morning and use a cast iron skillet for the best results for blackening the potatoes.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 lbs red potatoes , unpeeled (or any thin skinned potato)
• 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil (or any bland oil that has a high smoke point)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole chipotle chile , stemmed, seeded if desired
• 1 whole dried ancho chiles or 1 whole small morita chilies or 1 whole pasilla chile , stemmed, seeded if desired
• ½ teaspoon hing
• ½ tablespoon raw sugar
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 dash cayenne , to taste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala or 1 teaspoon curry powder
• plain yogurt or sour cream
• lemon wedge
• salt , to taste

Directions:

1. The day before, or early on the day of preparation, boil the potatoes until 3/4 cooked. Drain and set aside to cool. Once cool, cover and refrigerate. (Or bring to room temperature.).
2. Whirl the chipotle and ancho chili in a blender or clean coffee mill until ground.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil on medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet and brown the cooled potatoes; about 10-12 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Scrape off the browned potatoes that stuck to the bottom of the pan and discard.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the bay leaf and ground chilies and cook until darkened; about 1 minute. Add the hing and the remaining spices. Now add the sugar, potatoes, cumin and cayenne pepper.
5. Fry the mixture for about 3-5 minutes to blend the flavors; stirring often and reducing heat if necessary. You are wanting to blacken the potatoes, NOT burn them!
6. Remove from heat and serve with a dollop of plain and yogurt and a lemon wedge. Allow your guests to season to taste with salt.
7. Can be served hot or at room temperature.