Po-taaay-to .. Po-tahhh-to

This may look like an innocent enough potato dish to you lot, but I've been told it has lethal powers. Deadly powers. So much so, that my sister-in-law calls it "Potato Death". And since this dish is based on her recipe, I will submit to her deeper understanding of it.

Here's the thing about sister-in-laws - I don't know much about them! I have one, but I hardly ever see her in that light. Probably because I was on good terms with her way before my feelings for her snotty kid brother came into the picture (sorry DH, but as a rule, all kid brothers are snotty - I know, I have one too). In my culture, there are generally two categories that sisters-in-law fall into. Either she is the friendly confidante who you can go shopping with, arm-in-arm. Or she's the evil queen of darkness. On rare occasions, she may fluctuate between the two. And although I'm fairly certain my SIL doesn't fall into the latter category, she doesn't fit 100% into the former category either. But that's my issue, more than hers. I think I have too much respect and admiration for her to really ever be buddies with her. She's smart, funny, stylish, confident and super-talented, and I think I secretly want to be her! Oh, of course we have a good time together, and enjoy some good laughs - mostly at the expense of DH - but one can't really be close friends with someone who they can't take friendly jabs at from time to time, or tell them things like "you're being an idiot". You know what I mean? Of course you do, because you're very intelligent, dear readers!

Still, I love my SIL, and one of the things I love about her is that she doesn't hog recipes. Even ones that she's famous for. So let's take a looksie at this one, a personal favorite of DH's, might I point out.

Potato "Death" Koftay
Serves 6

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients for the koftay:
4 medium potatoes, peeled & boiled till tender
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1/4 cup oil for frying

For the gravy:
1 large onion, sliced
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (optional, but I like)
1 bay leaf
1 large cardamom pod (bari elaichi)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

Method:
1. Mash the boiled potatoes with the green chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and ginger-garlic.

2. Pat the mashed potatoes into a circle as big as the palm of your hand; fill the center with about a tsp of cream cheese, then envelop that in the potato mixture, rolling it into a ball. Repeat till you use up all the potato mixture. Make all the koftay approximately the same size.
3. Beat the egg & season with a little salt and pepper. Heat up the oil in a large skillet. Dip each potato ball into the egg batter, then place in the hot skillet. Shallow fry till brown on all sides. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

4. In a separate skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the same oil you used for frying the koftay. Drop in the cardamom and bay leaf. Saute the onions till golden.

5. Add in the tomatoes, along with the remaining spices, then simmer the entire thing till the tomatoes soften and form a gravy.

6. Put the koftay into the gravy, and gently incorporate. Once the koftay are heated through (5 mins), turn off the heat, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with naan, parathas or roti.

Verdict: This is so devious and delicious with the addition of the cream cheese inside that potato ball! The soft, tangy cheese actually works to balance the spices in this dish, and smooth all the flavors out. She's crafty, that SIL of mine, God bless her. Turns out, this is one of those rare vegetarian dishes that DH claims is perfect as is, and for once I don't hear the "but if only you added some meat" complaint! Which makes this an indispensable recipe in my house.

You know what else I love about my sister-in-law? How much she adores this little guy ...
Ok, admittedly, that face is pretty easy to love. But it simply fills my heart with immense joy, knowing that baby B can look at his aunt and know that she loves him like her own. Maybe if he spends more time with her, some of that creative genius will rub off on him (click HERE to see what I'm talking about. Seriously. You need to see this.) - didn't work with me, but hey, he's young and still has a chance.

By the way, that smile on B's face is also for all my blogger buddies, who have been so kind in sharing hugs and kisses with this kiddo, and asking about him. This current moment has him sleeping on my bed, looking rather angelic. Looking at him now, I can almost forget the havoc he wreaks with my emotions when he turns on his 'tantrum' dial. Almost.