25 Days of Christmas Recipes, Day 9: Chilli-Glazed Roast Potatoes and Lemon and Caper Boiled Potatoes

Day 9 and our Advent Calendar has now reached the sides– a.k.a. the best part of any Christmas dinner. Roast potatoes are already one of the tastiest potatoes to ever exist. Spiced chicken wings/cauliflower bites= also extremely tasty. So, I thought, why not combine two of the tastiest things? And thus the Chilli-Glazed Roast Potatoes were born. And the great thing is if you like it a bit spicier you can mix-up the heat with different chilli sauces that are available to you.

The Lemon and Caper boiled potatoes are an invention of in-the-moment-desperation for a more interesting way to use up boiling potatoes that didn’t take too much time. I’d already made potato salad for my parents but I, being a person who didn’t like potato salad, needed to find something interesting to put on my own plate. There’s no better way to add flavour than to smother in flavoured butter and these potatoes are no exception.

Chilli-Glazed Roast Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 5 Medium Roasting Potatoes, peeled

Glaze

• 1tbsp Siracha
• 1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2tbsps Tomato Ketchup
• 2tbsps of Ponzu (or a mixture of soy sauce and lemon juice)
• Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6.
2. In a deep, oven proof tray pour sunflower oil over the surface until it’s just covered. Put into the preheated oven to become nice and hot.
3. Cut your potatoes into 3cm by 5cm pieces (or as close as possible. The important thing is they’re all the same size).
4. Put in a medium pan and cover with cold water. Bring them up to the boil and boil for ten minutes or until a knife goes through a potato easily.
5. Drain in a colander and shake until the potatoes appear to be fluffy on the outside.
6. Tip potatoes into your hot oil and turn them over with a spoon to fully coat them in the oil. Make sure they’re all on one level. Sprinkle salt over each potato.
7. Put the tray back in the oven and cook for 45 minutes until slightly brown and crispy.
8. Put kitchen roll on a plate and move your potatoes, when finished, onto the roll. All of the extra oil will drain onto the kitchen roll.
9. Pour your glaze ingredients into a small pan and place on a medium heat. Allow to warm through for 2-3 minutes and then remove from the heat.
10. Move your roast potatoes into a deep bowl. Add 3tbsp of your glaze and shake your potatoes until coated. Add more glaze and shake again if you want a bit more heat.
11. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Lemon and Caper Boiled Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 7-8 Boiling Potatoes
• ½ Lemon, juiced
• 15g Capers
• Parsley, small handful
• 100g Salted Butter

Method:

1. Peel and wash the potatoes and cut into 1cm thick slices.
2. Add to a pan of cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat.
3. Boil for 10 mins or until a knife goes through easily.
4. Drain through a colander and then cover with a clean tea-towel. Leave to steam dry for 10 minutes.
5. Place the remaining ingredients into a medium sized pan and place over a medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and then add your dried potatoes.
6. Stir your potatoes around gently until it’s covered in the flavoured butter. Season to taste.
7. Serve immediately and enjoy.