This Recipe for Piri Piri Potatoes Is the Perfect Side Dish for Tonight’s Dinner
The versatility of a potato is arguably unmatched. Think about it — with just a few of them you can whip up recipes like pomme frites or deliciously crispy grilled wedges. Maybe it has something to do with their year-round availability, or it could simply be because they are so darn good.
Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, London-based recipe developer Demi, who goes by DemThePesc, is on a mission to make potatoes a must on everyone’s grocery list. And with her recipe for Piri Piri Roasted Potatoes, you might be adding them to your grocery haul today.
The vegan dish — which she recently posted on her Instagram — calls for homemade piri piri, a centuries-old African spice blend known for its spicy, garlicky, and herbal flavor profile. But don’t stress, the seasoning is made up of pantry staples you likely have handy already.
To recreate this side dish, you won’t need much: just 30 minutes, a sheet pan, eight or so potatoes of your choice (Yukon gold and red potatoes are roasting-friendly), and ingredients like garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, ground ginger, and chili powder. And if spicy food isn’t your thing, take Demi’s advice and remix the recipe with seasonings and spices that fit your taste.
One thing you don’t want to skip, however, is the parboiling process. If you want your potatoes to be soft and crispy, parboiling — either on the stove or in the microwave — is the only way to make it happen. Another brilliant cooking hack that you may not want to miss out on, according to Demi, is to parboil the potatoes with whole garlic cloves. By doing this, you can expect to get semi-soft potatoes that will be loaded with flavor before they even hit the oven.
If you’re up for an easy challenge and ready to lay your eyes on what many fans are calling “sexy-looking potatoes,” you’ll want to give this a try this week. My suggestion would be to make it a meal and pair them with Demi’s Mexican Bean Soup. Trust me, you’ll thank me later for the tip.