Crispy Potatoes with Curry Leaves Dip (Holiday Party Appetizer)
Oct 16, 2024
These Indian style patatas bravas have crispy air fried potatoes served on a curry leaf infused sour cream dip. Serve these on a platter or in small individual cups for easy holiday entertaining.
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For an easy holiday appetizer, serve air-fried crispy potatoes over a curry leaf infused sour cream dip! These are the Indian inspired version of patatas bravas where we air fry the potatoes in stead of deep frying them. Serve these in a platter or in small cups for individual serving.
When I went to Spain, I ate patatas bravas almost every day. Not because it was my favorite, but because it was one vegetarian option that was on the menu of every restaurant we went to! These Indian style patatas bravas swap the deep fried potatoes with air fried ones and the tomato bravas sauce for a curry leaf infused sour cream dip.
You can easily deep fry the potatoes but I prefer the ease of air frying them. This is an easy and flavorful appetizer to put together for holiday gatherings like Diwali, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.
Manali’s Tip
- Russet potatoes are preferred for this recipe. Russet potatoes are more starchy and have less moisture content which makes them more crisper when you air fry them.
Let’s Make it!
- Fill a medium saucepan with water and place it on medium-high heat. Let the water come to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, add a generous pinch of baking soda and then add the 1-inch cubed potatoes to it. I have used 3 large russet potatoes here (around 700-800 grams). Let the water come to a boil again and then boil for 1 minute exactly. Adding baking soda to the water helps in releasing the starch from the potatoes and this is what makes them extra crispy when we put them in the air fryer. After 1 minute, drain the potatoes using a colander. And then transfer the potatoes to a baking tray lined with a kitchen towel. Let the potatoes dry completely. You can also pat them with a kitchen towel to dry them.
- Once the potatoes are dry, preheat the air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and add around 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat the potatoes with the oil. Then transfer the potatoes into the air fryer in a single layer (if you have a small air fryer, you would need to do this in batches). Air fry at 380 F degrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown in color.
- While the potatoes are in the air fryer, work on the curry leaves dip. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pan on medium heat. Then add around 35-40 curry leaves to it and sauté for a few minutes or until the curry leaves crisp up. You would be able to hear the crispiness. At this point, remove the curry leaves into a bowl.
- Crush the crisp curry leaves using your hands or a fork. Now, to a large bowl, add 1 cup of sour cream (I have used full-fat sour cream) along with the crushed curry leaves, 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of red chili powder, 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix using a whisk until everything is well combined. I also added 1 to 2 tablespoons of water at this point to thin out the dip a little. This dip does solidify as it sits so add a little water to thin it out. Meanwhile your air fried potatoes are done by this point, so remove them from the air fryer and toss them with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- To plate the dish, take your serving platter and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dip at the bottom of the plate and spread it using the back of your spoon. Then top with the crispy air fried potatoes. Drizzle more sauce at the top generously. Then top with 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts (I used salted peanuts) and some chopped chives. Serve and enjoy!
Some Notes & Tips
- If you want to deep fry the potatoes, you would still need to do the step of boiling them for a 1 minute. After they have dried, you can then deep fry them.
- Ideally use russet potatoes for this recipe, but if it is not available, you can use red potatoes or even Yukon gold.
- Every air fryer is different so I would keep an eye on the potatoes after 20 minutes. Mine takes around 25 minutes to nicely crisp up at 380 F degrees.
- If you can’t find sour cream, you can replace it with Greek yogurt. I would consider adding some mayonnaise to it in that case.
- These are best served immediately but keep just fine even after a few hours. The potatoes of course would lose their crispness with time but still taste good especially with the dip.
Crispy Potatoes with Curry Leaves Dip
These Indian style patatas bravas have crispy air fried potatoes served on a curry leaf infused sour cream dip. Serve these on a platter or in small individual cups for easy holiday entertaining.
Ingredients
- 3 large potatoes 700-800 grams, I used russet potatoes
- generous pinch baking soda
- ½ to ¾ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 teaspoon oil I used avocado oil
- 35-40 curry leaves
- 1 cup sour cream I used full fat
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- black pepper to taste
- chopped chives to garnish
- salted peanuts crushed, to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a medium size pot with water and let then let the water come to a boil. Once it boils, add baking soda to it followed by cubed potatoes. Let the water come to a boil again after adding the potatoes and boil exactly for 1 minute. The remove the pot from heat and drain the potatoes using a colander. This extra-step of boiling the potatoes in alkaline water results in extra crispy potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a kitchen towel and let them dry completely. You can pat them with kitchen towel so that they dry faster.
- Once the potatoes are dry, preheat the air fryer. Toss the potatoes in olive oil and then transfer them to the air fryer in a single layer. Air fry at 380 F degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp. You might need to do this in batches if you have a smaller air fryer.
- While the potatoes are in the air fryer, make the curry leaf dip. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pan on medium heat and then add the curry leaves to it. Sauté for a few minutes or until the curry leaves crisp up. You would be able to hear the crispiness. At this point, remove the curry leaves into a bowl.
- Crush the crisp curry leaves and add them to a bowl of full-fat sour cream along with smoked paprika, red chili powder, tomato paste, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Also add around 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin it a out a little. Mix everything using a whisk and your dip is ready.
- Meanwhile once the potatoes are done, take them out of the air fryer and sprinkle them with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- To plate the dish, take your serving platter and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of dip at the bottom of your plate and spread it using the back of your spoon. Then arrange the crispy potatoes on top. Drizzle more of the curry leaf dip generously all over the potatoes. Then sprinkle with chopped chives and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- The total time does include the time it takes for the boiled potatoes to dry before you can air fry them.
- The dip will thicken as it sits so definitely add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to thin it out a little.
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 226mg, Potassium: 838mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 544IU, Vitamin C: 154mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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