We eat these potatoes with our eggs on Sundays, with our Indian meals, and also with our more Western roasts and grills. They are versatile and good.

　　

Ingredients

serves 3¿4

　　1 1/2 pounds waxy boiling potatoes, boiled until just done, cooled thoroughly, and peeled

　　1/4 cup olive or canola oil

　　1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

　　1/2 teaspoon whole brown or yellow mustard seeds

　　1 teaspoon finely slivered peeled fresh ginger

　　1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

　　1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, if desired

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Cut the potatoes into 1/2” × 1/3” dice.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, put in the ginger. Stir twice and add the potatoes. Sprinkle the salt, red pepper, and black pepper over the top. Now stir and fry for 4–5 minutes. The potatoes should get lightly browned, and all the spices should be well mixed. Taste for salt.

　　

cutting ginger into fine slivers

Step 3

Cut a 1-inch knob off a piece of fresh ginger and peel it. Now cut that chunk crossways into the thinnest slices you can manage. Stack 6–7 slices together and cut them crossways into the thinnest slivers possible. Cut all the slices this way. If you need more slivers, start with another knob of ginger.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.