How to prepare spicy potatoes (potato wedges):

• Wash the potatoes thoroughly by scrubbing them with a brush or the green side of a kitchen sponge (keep a dedicated sponge aside).

  Cut them into wedges without peeling and let them sit in cold water for at least an hour.

  Soaking in water removes excess starch, which helps achieve crispier potatoes. Soaking can be extended for several hours, in which case it’s advisable to transfer the entire bowl to the fridge.

• Drain the potatoes from the soaking water.

  You can proceed directly to baking, but it’s better to pre-cook them for a few minutes. A recommended step for all oven-baked potatoes.

  Traditionally, pre-cooking is done in water for a few minutes; however, I put them in the microwave: 6 minutes at maximum power (for 1,200 kg of potatoes, in pieces) with a mid-time pause for stirring.

  For those who prefer classic pre-cooking in water: plunge the pieces into boiling water, count 3 minutes from when the water returns to boil, then drain. Finally, pat the pieces dry with a cloth or paper towel.

  Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper..

  Ideally, the pieces should not overlap. But since it was still hot when I cooked these spicy potatoes, and I didn’t want to turn on the big oven, I cooked them in the mini oven (my trusty old toaster oven), so my kilo and two of potatoes were too much for the small tray, and I arranged them like this, let’s say… not perfect:

  😀

  

• At this point, dust the potatoes with turmeric and ginger powder, then add a drizzle of oil (truly, just a drizzle, no need to be generous), and a little chili (or pepper, if you prefer, or both for the more daring).

  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 392°F (200°C). The actual time will depend on the oven, the size of the pieces, the quality and age of the potatoes, or other variables.

  If necessary, and according to your oven’s behavior, during the last minutes of cooking, you can move the tray to the top part of the oven, maybe turning on the grill.

  To brown them on all sides, I stirred the wedges once during cooking, using a spatula and with caution, being careful not to break them 🙂

  

• VERSION WITH AROMATIC HERBS:

  For completeness, and to suggest you a tasty variant worth trying, below is the photo of my very first batch of spicy potatoes I mentioned in the introduction.

  In this first well-done trial, I had cooked the whole potatoes, also with skin and in the microwave, but leaving them slightly undercooked. (If you need tips for cooking potatoes in the microwave, HERE is my tutorial).

  Then I cut them into wedges and placed them on the oiled baking tray (without parchment paper), placing each wedge upright, resting on the skin side. I had sprinkled the wedges with curry, ginger powder, and also aromatic herbs, i.e., oregano, parsley, and rosemary. Finally, pepper and oil and then placed them back in the mini oven for the time needed to complete cooking and achieve a slight browning. This time without the need to turn them, given their ‘comfortable’ arrangement. 😉

  

• Whether you choose to use turmeric or curry, paprika or ginger, with or without herbs, I’m sure these spicy potatoes won’t disappoint you. They are very versatile, pairing perfectly with both meat, for example with the classic chicken like my lemon and rosemary baked chicken,

  but also with fish, and especially with the baked sole fillets with sesame and chia seed crust I talked about just a couple of days ago. 🙂

  

• And then, since these spicy potatoes are excellent both hot and cold, I also see them as a tempting appetizer for cocktail hour. 😉 What do you say… shall we try?