POTATO AND LEEK FRY

POTATO AND LEEK FRY
I brought some leek stalks this week to prepare soups but they ended up in a completely different dish…I am glad they did! If you love lots of onions in potato fries or other non-vegetarian dishes, you are sure to love this one. This potato fry had lots of onion flavor but that did not overpower the dish. I have used my grandma’s recipe here. She uses fennel seeds in almost everything, so I have stuck to that and did not use any other spices. If needed, a teaspoon of garam masala can be added along with the chili and coriander powder.

INGREDIENTS:
Medium size potatoes, 3.
Red onions, medium-size, 4.
Leeks, 2 stalks.
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
Fennel seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
Mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon.
Chili powder, 2 teaspoons.
Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons.
Salt as per taste.
Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing, 1 sprig of each.

PREPARATION:
Wash the potatoes and cook them in a pressure cooker or microwave with the skin on and let it cool. When the potatoes are cool enough to be handled, peel the skin and mash them into large pieces. Discard the green part of the leeks and then cut the white portion vertically once. Rinse them over running water to remove the sand in between. Dice them into small pieces and keep aside. Dice the onions finely. Remove the curry leaves from the sprig and chop the cilantro finely. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil turns hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the diced onions and curry leaves and sauté them for a few minutes. When the onions are well caramelized, add ginger-garlic paste and fennel seeds and sauté for a few more minutes. Then add the chili powder, coriander powder, salt, and mix everything well. Keep frying them for a minute or two until there is no raw smell emanating from the powders. Then add the mashed potatoes and leeks, mix everything, and keep frying under medium flame for 5 minutes. It can also be cooked closed under low-flame for 5 minutes until the potatoes absorb all the flavors and they get a roasted texture. A few more teaspoons of oil can also be added at this stage to aid in caramelizing, I have omitted that. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rotis or rice.