Bon Appétit: Indian BBQ Potato & Chickpea Stew

Bon Appétit Series Background Recap: I was tired of reading their magazine each month, saying, “Oh that looks great, I’ll make that”, then the magazine ends up in the cupboard or trash, never to been seen again. Never more! Now I’m holding myself publicly accountable; each month I will cook at least one recipe from Bon Appétit and post it on here.

Yes, it’s September, but I’ve yet to post my meal from the July issue of Bon Appétit. I actually made my first meal from that issue over a month ago, but I didn’t have my camera and the photos from my phone were too awful to post, which is saying a lot from me. Initially I made the Shrimp and Green Onion Pancakes, Field Greens with Red Chili Dressing, and a simple galbi recipe, which they don’t have online for some reason. It was all very good, I’d recommend it.

But I wanted to actually post some photos, so I chose the Indian BBQ inspired Cheese-Stuffed Potatoes with Yogurt-Spice Paste and Sesame Seed Crust. As a side dish I cooked the Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew from the May issue. On to the photos!

First I started making the yogurt paste by mixing coriander, cumin, salt, smoked paprika, garlic, and ginger in the food processor.

Next, I added the yogurt.

I used the full fat Fage, which is ridiculously thick. And fatty. And good.

Now I have my paste ready to go. This stuff is awesome. I would use less salt than they recommend, but this sauce is definitely getting added to my repertoire for future BBQ. I’m thinking Indian kabobs.

Meanwhile my potatoes have been baking for over an hour. I scored them then scooped with my 1970’s ice cream scoop.

Done.

Then I prepared the rest of my filling – cilantro, scallion, serranos, sesame seeds, butter, and cheese.

Then mix in the potato, mash, and fill yer potatoes back up. Perfect fit! Go figure.

Then cover your potato with the paste (top and bottom) and roll the potato on a plate full of sesame seeds. I then threw them on the grill while I worked on my stew. The grilling directions are all sorts of complicated, I suggest ignoring them. Just grill them on low and plate them on the top rack so they aren’t directly in contact with the heat.

On to the stew…I never use cauliflower, but I dig it.

The stew was really easy – sauté onions, add curry powder, add cauliflower, add beans, add tomatoes/chiles, add coconut milk, then simmer.

Once the chickpeas and cauliflower are soft, you are ready to rock. Season with salt and pepper. Finished pictures below.

I highly recommend the potato dish, really just for the yogurt paste. The potato is fine, but all I could think of was all the potential applications for that spicy yogurt. The chickpea stew was ok, but it had no kick and had to be heavily seasoned. This has potential, but definitely spice it up more if you make it .