Boil potatoes, mash gently with spices in oil, brown smashed potatoes, serve with coconut, coriander and tamarind chutney.
Easy. Not easy enough? You can skip the chutneys, which would be sad, but fine. Or buy them. I won’t tell.
Spiced Potato Filling for Masala Dosa
If you don’t feel like fermenting lentils for dosa, you can just eat this on its own or with meat, or in a different kind of wrap (especially with mango chutney or tomato chutney…), spiced to your preferred level of heat. Jalapeno, serrano or cayenne chili peppers are fine. Habanero is too hot (not so fine).
Heat is not always flavour, though, and this dish is really about the other spices – mustard seeds, garlic, ginger and coriander. Make sure you give yourself enough time to either peel the potatoes in advance or boil them whole and then peel them more easily after.
2 lb potatoes
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
3-4 cloves garlic, mashed to a pulp (in a mortar with a pestle, or blended in a small food processor), or use a garlic press
1/2″ fresh ginger, also mashed (optional)
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 green cayenne or jalapeno chili, seeds and membrane removed, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste. Starch also sucks up salt, though, which is why you need so much here)
1/2 cup chopped coriander (aka cilantro. Or use parsley)
Boil the potatoes whole in enough water to cover until tender (about 20 minutes. Test with a fork).
Drain, rinse in cold water, and when cool enough to handle peel with hands. Gently crush the peeled potatoes with the bottom of a fork in a large bowl and set aside.
While waiting for the potatoes to cool, chop and measure everything else. Mashing that garlic could take some effort if you don’t have a good mortar and pestle. Another option for mashing instead of blending is to put it in a plastic bag and beat it with a mallet, but be careful not to pop or break the bag.
Heat oil in a large pot over high heat and when hot add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop (about 20 seconds max) lower the heat to medium-high and add the turmeric and garlic and ginger pastes. 30 seconds later add the onion and cool, stirring constantly for about 8 minutes. Add a little water a tbsp at a time as the onion starts to stick. Or lower the heat a little, but higher heat is better to get that charred taste on the onions. Add the chili. Stir then add the potatoes and salt.
Stir and press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pot to create a crust, then mix in the crust and press more of the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pot. Repeat, repeat, repeat, etc. for about 5 minutes. Scoop into a large bowl and let cool. Add salt if necessary. Top with half the cilantro and stir. Top with the remaining cilantro and don’t stir.
Place in middle of half-cooked dosa. Gently fold edges up over filling while dosa is still pliable but almost cooked through.
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