Ghee-roasted Gunpowder-spiced Hasselback Potatoes

Meet the Hasselback potato, of Sweedish provenance, now apparently making a royal global comeback.

Stories of the Hasselback’s origin are apocryphal, but it’s generally accepted that Hasselbackspotatis were the creations of the Restaurang Hasselbacken in Stockholm of the late 19th century (unlikely before that, because potato-eating wasn’t widely accepted until later). So it is that all things old must become new again, they say, explaining the re-ascendance of this accordion-cut buttery crisp-outside creamy-inside roasted side dish.

True enough. But things becoming new again are rarely so in the same old ways. In my kitchen, a greater truth comes from the American short-story writer Mary Flannery O’Connor: everything that rises must converge. [Haven’t read the story yet? Pause NOW and do so.] Things Southern become Northern; things white get colored; things working class get chic; things exclusive become mass-market. There are contestations. There is reinvention. There are reclamations, replete with ironies. (Bitches gotta eat, yo). And so and only so, do things old become new. It’s the “modernity of tradition,” stupid–as the South Asianists who coined that phrase should’ve said. (But were waaay polite to do so). 

So when the Hasselback made its appearance in our Pondicherry kitchen, it was with all the drama of colonial return to a seasoned, waiting post-colonial table. Its plain buttery crispness was no longer what mattered. What mattered was how it could accompany a classic rasam, or how it could sit alongside other vegetables in an utterly desi repertoire. Or how it could be a potato in the way Indians treat potatoes, not so much as side shows but blank slates for other tastes to pile high.

We made three changes.

1, Hasselbacks are conventionally made with insane amounts of butter, tucked into accordion cuts, and roasted. We par-boiled and ghee-roasted them instead. (It’s hot here, and electricity don’t come cheap–thermal power plants which give us our lights and fans are among the hugest polluters on the planet. So this was to cut down on inadvertent house-heating and oven-use time, minimising carbon footprints in the process).

2, Hasselbacks are traditionally served as-is, straight from the oven. We piled on chutney powder from a favorite family recipe. And put tender fried curry leaves on top for that final seasoning flourish + extra light topping crunch.

Note: Chutney powders are, exactly as the name indicates, all the flavors of a wet chutney in a dry powdered form. They’re intense combinations of tastes, hence the “gunpowder” moniker. They’re as varied and versatile as masalas and other Indian spice mixes. Each region, and each home has a favorite version, made with typical combinations and ingredients that reflect the tastes of the place. These dry spice mixes are around when a quick meal needs to materialize–they’re eaten with dosas and other tiffins, they can pep up simple dal-rice meals, or be eaten with plain curd-rice. They transport better than wet chutneys, so are great for packed train or bus meals. Or lunchboxes! We add our chutney powder to fried eggplant slices, or stir-fried bell peppers all the time — with some salt, that’s ready-made no-fuss curry in a hurry. 

A few teaspoons are all you need each time, so these stored gunpowders can be meal-savers when you really need them. 

3, Hasselbacks are served as a side-dish. We made them so they could just as easily be a snack in their own right. With the dals from the chutney powder, and some yogurt or mint chutney along for the ride, this gorgeous potato is easily a filling, reasonably nutritious any-time snack.

However you use them, re-make them, or reclaim them, these are visual stunners. Here’s how you make them.

First, the gunpowder. Here are all the ingredients you need.

You’ll roast the chillies in a little oil:

Transfer the chillies to a plate to cool and then in the same pan roast the dals:

Add the tamarind, breaking into bits as you do. Allow it to dry out a little in the heat. You want to fry it into a bit of crispiness.

Then, the coconut:

The “copra” or dry coconut is a beauty in its own right–worth admiring. You’ll use about half. Chop into small pieces and roast along with the dals and leaves just until fragrant, only a minute or three.

Towards the end, add the dry curry leaves and coriander — the heat of the roasting will take care of any residual moisture.

Allow the mixture to cool, then process in a blender into a powder. This does not have to be super-fine; in fact, a little crunch is a good thing in a chutney powder.

Add jaggery (3 teaspoons, to start, and then a little at a time until you get the desired sweet off-set) and salt to taste.

And there she is:

Bottled, she stores well for a couple of weeks. But remember that this is a coconut-based powder, so it spoils faster than several others. If it’s very hot where you live, and you have this longer than a few weeks–refrigerate.

Now get to the potatoes (shown here with sea salt flakes and fresh coriander):

Holding the spuds down firmly with the flattest side down, cut into thin slices without going all the way down. Work slowly, and you’ll get a feel for it. Essentially, you want thin, accordion cuts but the spud still whole. Once you’ve done as many as you want, drop them all in boiling water for about 5-8 minutes–just a light par-boil is what you’re aiming for. No more.

Pre-heat your oven to 400F/200C.

Lift the par-boiled potatoes out with tongs, drain, and set on a baking sheet to cool and dry a little. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, brush them liberally with ghee. Open up the as many of the cuts as you can to get drops inside. If you like garlic, you could mince a few cloves and stuff the bits inside the potato cuts as well. Get them deep inside, yes please. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, and roast for about 40 minutes, or until done.

Get the chutney powder on them right away.

They’re ready for the table, as-is, but–being the typical Indian girl I am–I like them with a bit of seasoning on top. Not so much as to interrupt the chutney powder tastes, but just for that last touch of elegance and flair. A few tender curry leaves and a dry chilli or two, dropped into a tiny bit of hot ghee and sizzled to a crisp does the trick:

And that’s it! Serve right away. Ghee-roasted these are best served hot-out-of-the-oven. If you’re planning on saving them for a bit, then stick them back in a hot oven just before you want to serve, to get that skin crisp again. Then finish with gunpowder and curry leaves just before these beauties go to your table.