Dum Aloo Roast

2 pounds baby red or white potatoes

15 to 20 cloves garlic

4 shallots, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon ground black cardamom

¼ cup ghee

Sauce

1 ½ cups plain whole milk yogurt

1 cup heavy cream, plus more for drizzling at the end

½ cup melting cheese, such as Gruyère or raclette (optional)

Generous pinch of saffron

½ cup toasted cashews

1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder

4-inch piece ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons garam masala

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in half, leaving the smaller ones whole. In a large shallow baking dish, combine the potatoes, garlic cloves, shallots, salt, cardamom and ghee, and spread evenly. Cover tightly with foil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Take the foil off, lower the temperature to 300 degrees and continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and, along with the shallots and garlic cloves, have turned a golden brown.

In the meanwhile, puree the yogurt with cream, cheese, saffron, cashews, chile powder, ginger, salt and garam masala in a food processor until smooth. Pour this sauce over the potatoes and cover tightly with foil again.

At this point, the dum aloo can be refrigerated for up to 2 days until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, taking the foil off for the last 10 minutes. The dum aloo should have turned an orange-red color and the sauce should be bubbling around the potatoes.

Garnish with a drizzle of plain cream or yogurt.

Notes & variations

• To make a plant-based version, replace the yogurt and cream with milk, and the ghee with olive or untoasted sesame oil.

• To keep it nut free, replace the cashews with pumpkin seeds.

• Kashmiri red chile powder is available at most Indian grocers; if you can’t find it, use a chile powder with the brightest red color you can find.

Serves 6 to 8

From Anita Jaisinghani