Chaat-Style Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
Chaat-Style Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
Chaat-Style Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
By Nik Sharma
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Author:
By Nik Sharma
Servings
4
Recipe, text and photos excerpted from Veg-Table: Recipes, Techniques + Plant Science for Big Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals by Nik Sharma. © 2023. Published by Chronicle Books.
Potatoes play a very important role in Indian street food chaat-style dishes, so I figured, why not make a baked potato based on the same principles? I’ve limited the sauces to one—the date-tamarind chutney—and loaded the top with lots of fresh herbs and, of course, plenty of crunchy sev, a crispy noodle-like snack made from chickpea flour.
Ingredients
- 2 large baking potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- ¼ cup (60 ml) date syrup
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 shallots, minced
- ¼ cup (10 g) chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 green chile such as serrano, jalapeño, or bird’s eye, thinly sliced
-
2 tablespoons Oaktown Spice Shop California Chaat Masala
- 2 cups (480 g) plain, unsweetened full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fine sev, such as the “nylon” variety (see Cook’s Notes)
- lime wedges, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Scrub 2 large baking potatoes and brush with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until tender enough to be pierced with a knife all the way through, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the potatoes rest for about 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Leave the oven on.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh using a spoon, leaving about ¼ in (6 mm) border of potato on the skin. Transfer the flesh to a large mixing bowl, making sure the skins are intact (it doesn’t need to be perfect). Reserve the skins.
- While the potatoes bake, prepare the date-tamarind chutney. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup (60 ml) date syrup, 2 tablespoons tamarind paste, and fine sea salt. If the mixture is too thick, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water. The consistency should be thin and syrupy.
- Mash the potatoes with a fork until there are no large clumps. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and fine sea salt and fold gently to combine. Spoon into the reserved potato skins, place them on the baking sheet, and bake until the tops are light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- While the potatoes bake for the second time, in a small bowl, combine 2 shallots, minced; ¼ cup (10 g) chopped cilantro; 2 tablespoons chopped mint; 1 green chile such as serrano, jalapeño, or bird’s eye, thinly sliced; and 2 tablespoons California Chaat Masala.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 2 cups (480 g) plain, unsweetened full-fat Greek yogurt and fine sea salt.
- Top each hot potato with ½ cup (120 g) of the yogurt, followed by the shallot mixture. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the date-tamarind chutney and top with 2 to 3 generous tablespoons fine sev such as the “nylon” variety (see the Cook’s Notes). Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side, if desired. Leftover chutney can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe Note
After the potatoes are baked, the flesh is scooped out carefully and mashed and seasoned, which makes every part of the potato flesh taste good.
Sev is a crispy noodle-looking snack made from chickpea flour. An alternative to sev is aloo bhujia, which looks the same and is made from potatoes. Both are available in Indian grocery stores and online. I prefer “nylon sev” because it is much finer and thinner than the others.
I don’t always serve this herb chutney because there are already a lot of herbs. But for those of you who want to use it, here’s the recipe for my Quick Green Herb Chutney:
Blend 1 cup (20 g) tightly packed cilantro, ¾ cup (9 g) packed fresh mint with stems, 1 green chile such as serrano or jalapeño, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon toasted cumin, and 1 teaspoon toasted corianderuntil smooth and add enough water to make a thin chutney that’s about 1 cup (240 ml). Taste and season with fine sea salt.
