Of course, he helps by going to the library and getting books like Smashed, Mashed, Boiled and Baked: A Celebration of Potatoes in 75 Irresistible Recipes by Raghavan Iyer.
Iyer's previous book was 660 Curries, so you know he likes flavorful food.
The other night I made his recipe for Moroccan Potato Stew with Saffron Biscuits. I think it would have been delicious without the biscuits, but heck, why not go all out on potato night.
Needless to say, the dish was a hit. In fact, it was even a hit on the 3rd night of leftovers. The seasonings were robust and the vegetables blended beautifully with them. The simple biscuits were delicious, even without the saffron. (I remember using the last of my saffron and deciding it was time to start growing my own saffron crocus. While I still want to do that, in the meantime I think I'd better just buy some more to last until the fall harvest. I'm sure the biscuits would have been even better with a little included.)
This is really a healthy recipe. Chickpeas and spinach, sweet potatoes as well as white — it's not that different to the food we usually eat. Maybe that's why I made the biscuits — it's important to be a little decadent on yummy potato night.
I did alter Iyer's recipe a little to suit what I had in the house. I hope you do the same thing when you cook the recipes on this blog. After all, half the fun of cooking is experimenting.
Here's what I did:
Moroccan Potato Stew with Biscuits
2/3 cup chickpeas
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp smoked chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
14oz can diced tomatoes
1 bunch spinach
Cook the chickpeas in simmering water until tender, 2-3 hours depending on the age of the beans. Or cook them in a pressure cooker for 22 minutes and let the pressure come down on its own. (Or use 2 15-oz cans chickpeas.) Drain and set aside.
Peel the white and sweet potatoes; cut into 1-inch cubes. Put in a bowl and cover with water so they don't turn grey before you need them.
Grind the coriander, cumin and cinnamon in a spice grinder (or coffee maker reserved for spices) until they are a fine powder. Pour into a small bowl and stir in the paprika, chili flakes, salt and turmeric.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When it begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, until they start to brown around the edges. Stir in the spice blend and stir for about 15 seconds until wonderfully fragrant. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid), 2 cups water, cooked chickpeas and drained potatoes. Stir it all together well so the vegetables are coated with the spices. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender.
Wash the spinach and remove any tough stems. Stir into the pot. Cover and let steam until cooked, about 3-5 minutes.
You can eat this excellent stew now, or you can go wild and put biscuits on top.
Biscuits
2 cups white flour (plus extra for dusting)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
4 tbsp butter, cut in slices and chilled
1 cup keffir or buttermilk
1/2 cup whipping cream
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Pour the cooked stew into an ovenproof casserole.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add chilled butter and break it up into pea-size pieces with your fingers as you mix it in.
Stir in the keffir and whipping cream to make a wet batter.
Mound a half cup of flour on a large board or surface. Cover your hands with flour too. Scoop up 1/3 cup batter with your well-floured hands and drop it into the mound of flour. Gently roll it around to coat it completely with flour, then shape it into a biscuit and put it on the stew. Repeat with all the dough — you'll have 6-7 biscuits.
Place the casserole, uncovered, into the oven and bake until the biscuits are browned on top, about 25 minutes.
Serves 6
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