Sluttishly Savoury: Spicy Baby Potatoes

Being half-Indian means I've had recipes drummed into me by my grandmother, many of them involving grinding my own flour and cooking chapattis over an open flame. It's all very authentic, but not the sort of thing you can throw together when you stagger in from work.

Thankfully, a few recipes my family have passed on are simple and delicious, like this potato one that works well as a side dish to just about anything. I like being quite free and easy with the spices, as if you fling in too much it will stick to the potatoes in a crispy tangy layer. Delicious.

You will need:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
• 2.5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, peeled and grated
  
• 225g (1/2 lb) baby potatoes (or any potatoes - you'll just have to do more chopping with bigger varieties), washed, with the skins left on
  
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
  
• 1 tsp garam masala
  
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  
• 1/2 tbsp amchur (dried mango powder)
  
• Fresh coriander

Make It!

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and turmeric. When the seeds start popping, add the ginger.

2. If you have teeny baby potatoes, then fine. If not, chop them into roughly 5 cm (2 inch) pieces, add to the pan and stir well to coat them in spices. Reduce the heat and leave to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. When the potatoes are tender, add the coriander powder, garam masala, chilli powder and amchur. Don't worry if you can't find any amchur, but it does add a lovely tartness. Try the spice section of your local Indian grocery shop.

4. Mix well, cover for five minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked. Add some chopped coriander leaves and you're done.

Eat it while it's hot, pretend you're going to save some for tomorrow, accidentally finish them, regret nothing.