I used to make these Armenian potatoes a lot many years ago. They’re a great dish for a party, super simple and stupendously delicious. I made these for a dinner party on the weekend, as part of falafel feast. I was going to make spicy Lebanese potatoes but these Armenian potatoes were just as good with the added advantage of being able to be made ‘ahead’ and re-heated just before serving. The simplicity of this dish means it can it can go with just about any style cuisine in fact I served the last of the left-overs with some Korean braised tofu on Monday night, but they’d work well as a side in any Indian, Greek or Middle-Eastern meal. This is a versatile side. Who doesn’t love potatoes, but these potatoes slow braised into garlicky, tomatoey tenderness have a special place in my heart.
Armenian potatoes
Adapted from Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon
- 750 grams(1 1/2 pounds) large old potatoes
- 1/4 cup vegetable or light olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- generous half cup of water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup of finely chopped parsley
- Scrub and thinly peel potatoes. Cut into a small dice (under 1 cm cubes)
- Mix together oil, water, tomato paste, salt and paprika and stir through the potatoes.
- Add pepper, garlic and parsley and toss together.
- Bake in a preheated oven 160C (325F) for about 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Serve warm, sprinkle with extra parsley as a garnish.
