I adore potatoes. They are my favorite vegetable. I could easily live without peas or carrots, but I could never live without potatoes. They are a wonderful vegetable in all of their incarnations . . . new, old and in between. I love them baked, mashed, boiled or fried. I love them any way I can get them. They are a very versatile vegetable lending themselves to many type of preparation. A member of the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes and aubergines, they originated in South America and have been grown widely in Europe since the 1500's
I love roasting them, either as wedges or in chunks. This recipe I am showing you today is one of my favourites. I adore nachos, but Todd isn't fond of anything that is too hard or crunchy. He does love potatoes however, like myself, and so it seemed a natural stretch to me to turn my favorite roasted potatoes into nachos, by a clever use of spices and herbs.
You can leave the skins on or peel them for this, both are delicious. I love potato peels, but Todd isn't overly fond of them, so I usually peel them for this purpose. Its a very simple recipe, quick and easy, but the flavours are amazing!
I use North American Chili powder for these, which I bring back when I go to Canada. I haven't been in quite a while now though, but I have several bags of it in my freezer. I also had a reader on my FB page send me some lovely Penderies Original Chili blend some months back, which I am using at the moment. I am almost out of it though, so I will soon be relegated to using what I have in the freezer. This Penderies is really delicious.
Don't be tempted to use what is sold here in the UK as chili powder for this in the same amount that I have recommended in the recipe. It is far toooooooo strong. I made the mistake of thinking it was the same as the North American one when I first moved over here, and just about blew Todd's 84 year old Aunt's head off! Whew! The chili powder over here is completely unadulterated with anything else. It is pure chili. So if that is all you have DO cut it way back to what you can reasonably tolerate!
Potato chunks are tossed together with a mix of chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, oil and green Tabasco sauce. Spread them out onto a lined and oiled baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a fairly hot oven.
You bake for 10 minutes, give them a stir and then bake them for 10 minutes longer, at which time they are crisp and golden brown on the outsides and tender and sweet on the insides. Oh boy, they are so good. I could eat them just like that . . .
But instead I scatter cheese over top and return them to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. A final scattering of chopped spring onion and they are ready to eat.
I serve them with sour cream, just as I would any nacho, and you could of course add any toppings you like. We like them just like this, especially if we are having them as a side dish. Quick, easy and delicious. Works well for me!
*Roasted Potato Nachos*Serves 2Printable Recipe
This serves two people, but can easily be multiplied to serve more. What can I say other than that these are absolutely flippin' delicious!
4 medium potatoes, peeled, (or not) and cut into 1 inch cubes2 tsp mild chili powder (don't use full strength unadulterated chili powder to this amount,it will be far too strong. If that is all you have, cut it back accordingly)1/4 tsp each ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic granules, onion granules1 tsp dried oregano flakessalt and black pepper to taste2 TBS olive oilsplash hot pepper sauce (I like the green Tabasco)
To serve:60g grated cheddar or jack cheese (1/2 cup)2 spring onions, finely slicedsour cream
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
Toss the Potatoes into a bowl along with the seasonings, oil and hot pepper sauce. Spread out onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the potatoes over. Return to the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes. They should be tender by then. Sprinkle with the cheese and return to the oven only long enough for the cheese to melt. Sprinkle with the spring onions and serve immediately with sour cream if desired.
You could of course eat these completely on their own and be happy with a variety of toppings and add-ons. Guacamole is fabulous with these. Today I served them as a side dish which we enjoyed with some bacon chops and green beans. Todd was in heaven. Bon Appetit!
