Name: Spicy masala roast potatoes
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: 1kg potatoes (Dutch cream are good), peeled if you want (see tip); 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 bird’s eye chilli, halved lengthways; 1 tsp black mustard seeds; 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 140g unsalted butter (the best you can find), cubed (see tip); 1 tbsp light olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon juice (from about ½ lemon), to serve; ¼ bunch of fresh coriander, leaves and stems finely chopped, to serve; Flaky sea salt, to season

Roast potatoes are a real crowd-pleaser and the dish is a perfect side for steak or roast chicken. This is a spicy version by MasterChef winner Justin Narayan that comes from his new book, Everything is Indian. It combines fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside potatoes with spices, such as cumin, turmeric, black mustard seeds along with garlic and chilli. The first step is to boil, drain and dry the potatoes. Then, you coat them with all the yummy spices along with butter. Next, it’s time to roast them in the oven. Then all there is to do is enjoy them!

Check out our recipe for crispy roast potatoes with salt and vinegar for a more traditional dish, or for another recipe with a spicy kick, try our roasted sweet potatoes with turmeric spiced chickpeas. If this roast potatoes recipe has inspired you to shake up your vegie game, you could also try these roasted carrots with lemon yoghurt and hazelnuts.

Ingredients

1kg potatoes (Dutch cream are good), peeled if you want (see tip)

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 bird’s eye chilli, halved lengthways

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground turmeric

140g unsalted butter (the best you can find), cubed (see tip)

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice (from about ½ lemon), to serve

¼ bunch of fresh coriander, leaves and stems finely chopped, to serve

Flaky sea salt, to season

Method

Chop the potatoes into quarters, then add to a saucepan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until they can easily be pierced by a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain well and allow them to dry, about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

While the potatoes are still hot, add to a bowl with the garlic, chilli, mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, butter and a pinch of salt. As the butter melts, stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Transfer the spiced potatoes to a roasting tray, and roast, giving them a little mix or toss every 10–15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, about 30–40 minutes.

To serve, transfer the potatoes to a serving dish, drizzle over the lemon juice, then sprinkle with the coriander and a pinch of flaky sea salt.

“If you can’t be bothered to cut and peel the potatoes, just chuck in chat (new) potatoes. I tried roasting potatoes with all different kinds of fat. Duck fat is good, but my favourite is butter. I love butter. You’re pushing the butter right to the edge with this heat, but it doesn’t burn. It just gives great caramelisation and helps get the potatoes crispy.” Justin Narayan
Tips

_{This is an edited extract from Everything is Indian by Justin Narayan with photography by Rob Palmer, published by Murdoch Books, $39.99.}

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Recipe Justin Narayan

Justin Narayan’s Fijian-Indian heritage has shaped his passion for creating beautiful food and community around the table. While he grew up watching cooking shows on TV and admires Gaggan Anand and Gordon Ramsay, really it’s his mum, Sunita, who is hands down the best cook he knows. He learned from her and his grandparents from age 13, and mealtimes with his family are among his favourite memories. Justin won Australian MasterChef in 2021, a journey which helped hone his skills and knowledge along with his love of marrying Indian flavours to modern cooking methods. He is now making his food his career including cooking classes, takeaway tacos and upcoming restaurant ventures.

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