Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with Rosemary and Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip Recipes

Learn how to make Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

~ Albert Einstein

Last week was the most testing, tiring and anxious time for K and me as parents. It was not something entirely new as LD periodically finds himself swallowing cocktails of paracetamol and ibuprofen sometimes flavoured by teaspoonful of antibiotics! ~sigh~ It’s not my favourite sight, but something I have come to accept and carry on as his doctor keep reminding us how he is more susceptible to infections when compared to his peers due to his birth history. We hope that it will get better as he gets old when his immune system is better at coping with infections. For few months, it did look that way until LD ended up in the hospital!

In the past even when he had a very high temperatures, LD had never stopped from doing what he loves; jumping on the bed, running around the house, hopping from one sofa to another and every other physical activities that little boys loves to do to keep their parents on their toes! But this time was quite different. The boy who never likes to stay still and nap was seen taking longer naps and looked really tired. It breaks a parent’s heart when their jumping monkey looks so weak and ill. It’s something we always dread and hope we never get to see it again… But that’s life, always throwing curveballs at you when you least expect it! You kind of start to think that it’s just another day or two in a hospital and may be prepared for it after all these years of visits and stays, but the reality is quite different. It doesn’t matter for the fact that you have been there for over a dozens time in the last couple of years, and you will never ever get used to seeing your child lying on the hospital bed. It was heart breaking for the very first time, and it will continue to break your heart every single time…

Thankfully it was just an overnight stay unlike previous episodes of hospital stays and we are back home where LD is slowly recovering and healing well. Doctors suspect it to be a case of another nasty infection and nothing worse and have asked us to keep a close eye on our little trooper who bravely sat through half a dozen of tests from blood tests to x-rays for most part of the night and early morning without complaining and always smiling, even through tears! I am always in awe of his high spirit, his never ending enthusiasm and his never fading smile even during the most difficult times in his short 6 years of life! That serene Buddha like smile on his face is my undoing and it makes me fall in love with this beautiful and kind boy of mine all over again! He is my little miracle… My living, breathing, laughing, loving and cuddling miracle for which I am truly grateful for!

We all can do with little miracles and magic sometime…. Like this Roasted Hassleback Potatoes spiced with piri piri seasoning, garlic powder, freshly ground pepper, sea salt and aromatic fresh rosemary and topped with a spoonful of creamy and delicious garlic flavoured yogurt dip! LD loves jacket potatoes with butter and baked beans and I wanted to surprise him with something similar but a lot different in terms of the way it looks and taste. That’s when I decided to make these Roasted Hassleback Potatoes. As the roasted potatoes are quite a heavy meal on their own, I decided to keep the dip quite light by using low fat yougurt and the result was one of the sensational spud dish which we all fell in love. The rosemary bush in our garden was something that was least used and hence I decided to use it in the recipe as it goes very well with the potatoes. I used store bought piri piri seasoning along with freshly ground black peppercorns for that spice kick and boy, does it make the spud taste good or what?! The dash of sea salt and the garlic powder really adds a touch of oomph. The same seasoning, except for olive oil and rosemary, has gone into making the light yogurt dip which tastes absolutely divine!

The idea is to mix and match the seasoning of your choice to build your own recipe. There is no strict rule that you got to use this particular seasoning or that particular herbs. Just go wild and use the ones which tickle your taste buds. :) The overall result is crispy skinned and buttery soft fleshed Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with divine Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip that will leave you completely satisfied! Don’t believe me? Then try it for yourself and see how you like it. :)

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Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with Spiced Garlic Yogurt Dip
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: 45-60 mins
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serves: 4-6 People
Shelf Life: Best served fresh
Serving Suggestion: With any dips and/or salad of your choice

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Ingredients for Roasted Hassleback Potatoes:
16-18 Medium Oval Shaped Potatoes or 25-30 Baby/New Potatoes
3-4 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary or ½ tsp Dried Rosemary
1-2 tsp Black Pepper, crushed to powder using pestle and mortar (As per taste)
1 tsp Garlic Powder or ½-1 Garlic Bulb, peeled, crushed and finely chopped
1 tsp Piri Piri Seasoning/Spice Mix or any seasoning of your choice (Optional, adjust as per taste)
1-1½ tsp Sea Salt (As per taste)
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil

Ingredients for Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip:
2 cups Yogurt, whisked (I have used low fat yogurt)
½ tsp Garlic Powder or 1 large clove Garlic, finely chopped or grated
½ tsp Piri-Piri Seasoning (As per taste)
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder (As per taste)
Salt to taste

Method:
Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven at 200 deg C (180 deg C with fan).
2. Line the baking tray with aluminium foil or parchment paper and keep it aside.
3. Snip the fresh rosemary sprig into 2 inch pieces. Grind the fresh black peppercorns into coarse powder using pestle and mortar and keep it aside until needed.
4. Wash the potatoes and pat them dry using kitchen towel making sure that no moisture is left.
5. Using a sharp knife, carefully make small vertical slits from one end, about 2mm apart, three quarters of the way down, all the way along. Repeat the same incision from one end of the potato to the other, spacing the cuts uniformly. The idea is to create the look of a fan, and hence you make sure that you don’t cut all the way through the potato. Trust me, this is the only difficult task in this recipe.
6. Take crushed black pepper powder, piri piri seasoning, rosemary, sea salt and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and mix them well. Keep it in the side until needed.
7. Add the prepared potatoes and toss them well. Make sure that the potatoes are well coated with the seasoning.

Proceed to Roast the Potatoes:

1. Spread the potatoes, cut side up, on a baking tray in a single layer. 
2. Bake it in the oven, turning occasionally, for 40-50 minutes at 200 deg C until golden brown and crisp. If using new/baby potatoes, bake for 35-40 minutes. The potatoes will turn golden brown with crispy skin and the slices will fan out.

Prepare the Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip:

1. While the potatoes are roasting, prepare the dip.
2. Take low fat yogurt in a bowl and add piri piri seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Whisk it well for all the ingredients to blend well. Taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Refrigerate until needed.

Serve:

1. Transfer the Roasted Hassleback Potatoes on to a serving plate and serve with delicious Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip or any other dips or sauces of your choice. Enjoy!

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Sia’s Notes:

• Use any seasonings of your choice to season the potatoes. You can replace or simply omit the piri piri seasoning with any other seasonings of your choice.
• The roasting time varies depending on the size, type and the oven temperature. New potatoes or the baby potatoes will take around 30-40 minutes whereas the medium fingerling potatoes take around 50-60 minutes. So keep a close eye after 30 minutes of baking to make sure that all the potatoes are well roasted and crisp but not burnt.
• We love these Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip. You can use any other dips or sauces of your choice.