The new barbie stars: Gunpowder potatoes with fennel seeds, chilli, coriander and cashews

The new barbie stars: Gunpowder potatoes with fennel seeds, chilli, coriander and cashews

This might be one of my favourite dishes – beautifully spiced potatoes with crisp cashews, sharp with lemon.

SERVES 4 as a side

PREP: 15 minutes

COOK: 1 hour

600g small roasting potatoes (eg Albert Bartlett Apache), halved

5 tbsp olive or neutral oil

2 cloves of garlic, grated

2½ cm fresh ginger, grated

½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed

½ tsp chilli powder

1½ tsp sea salt flakes

1 red onion, thickly sliced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 lemon, juice only

1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced

a big handful of fresh coriander leaves

50g cashews, toasted

  • Tip the halved potatoes into a large bowl with 3 tbsp oil, the garlic, ginger, crushed spices (you can do these in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder), chilli powder and 1 tsp sea salt flakes. Mix well.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the onion, ground cumin, ground coriander, the remaining 2 tbsp oil, the juice of ½ the lemon and another ½ tsp of sea salt flakes. Pile the mixture into the middle of a decent sized bit of foil, and make a neat parcel with the seam on top. Set aside.
  • Once your barbecue is ready, lay the potatoes on the grill, cut side down, and cook covered for 20-30 minutes. Turn them over, lay the foil packet on the grill, and cook both for a further 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and the onions are tender.
  • Mix the onions and potatoes in a serving dish, adding the spiced oil from the foil packet, and mix in the chilli, the rest of the lemon juice and the coriander leaves. Taste and adjust the salt as needed, then scatter over the cashews and serve hot.