Fiesta Potatoes

Potatoes. Any way. Any day. Another recipe developed for the Loblaw's Near You local produce campaign—this one featuring new crop, mini red potatoes. I often make a whole meal of these one-bite flavor fiestas, but where they really shine is as an app with a cold beer or a glass of wine.

INGREDIENTS

16-24 mini red potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Taco “Meat”:

1/2 cup (65 g) walnuts – toasted

3/4 tsp Mexican chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp sea salt

Large pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup (78 ml) salsa – home made or your fave store bought

1/4 cup (59 ml) cashew sour cream

2 tbsp chopped green onion

PREPARATION

Preheat your oven to 350°F (177 °C).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and carefully add the potatoes using a slotted spool. Boil for approximately 12 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes. Drain the potatoes and run them under cold water for a couple of minutes to halt the cooking process.

Place the walnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until they have darkened slightly and they smell “toasty”. Remove the walnuts from the oven and place them in a mini food processor along with the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulse the walnuts 2 or 3 times. Add the olive oil and pulse 2 or 3 more times. You’re after a coarsely ground nut about the size of a whole peppercorn.

Set your oven to broil.

Place a cooked mini potato on your clean cutting board. Grab a clean cotton towel and fold it into a square. Place the towel over the potato and, with the palm of your hand push down in one quick movement to “smash” the potato. You want the potatoes to be 1/4 to 1/3” (.6 to .8 cm) thick. Lightly brush the smashed potatoes on both sides with the olive oil and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the potatoes with the salt and place the baking sheet under the broiler for 3-4 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes just begin to get crispy.

And now, for the perfect stack… Working quickly, top each smashed potato with 1-2 teaspoons of the walnut taco “meat”; 1 teaspoon of salsa; 1 tsp of cashew sour cream; and a sprinkle of green onions.

And remember - sharing is caring.