Spiced Potatoes with Roast Courgettes

Spiced Potatoes and Roast Courgettes

Serves 2 as a meal, 4 easily as a side

• 6 medium potatoes
• 2 large courgettes (zucchini)
• 2 medium red onions
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• Spices. Choose your own from your cupboard. I used 1 teaspoon each of coriander seeds (crushed), fennel seeds, ground cumin, smoked paprika and dried fennel flowers. 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, garam masala and ginger.
  
• Salt and pepper.
  

Boil a large kettle while scrubbing your potatoes. Remove any eyes or bad bits from the potatoes and cut them into largish chunks (about an inch square or larger). Put them in a saucepan, cover with the boiling water, cover and simmer on a low heat while you prepare the rest of the veg.

Put the oven onto pre-heat (high temp, for roasting, I did it at about 230C but our oven is a little wimpy).

Wash and chop the courgettes into a similar size as the potatoes, then scatter them in a large roasting tin. Chop up the onion and scatter it likewise. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl mix the oil with the spices. Pour this into the roasting tin, using a teaspoon or small spatular to get the inevitable last few bits of spices out of the bowl and onto the veg. Take the potatoes off the heat, drain, and add them the roasting tin. Give everything a good mix with a wooden spoon so all the veg is covered, especially the potatoes.

Place in oven to bake and crackle way for about 30 mins. Take out once or twice while its cooking and give the tin a good shake to keep everything coated. Serve up to flatmate who is celebrating having done her accounts and realising she could afford those new shoes after all.

Next time I'd use a lot less oil as I much prefer these things crispier. Tasty and colourful though, and the left over oil might be nice with a bit of bread tomorrow.