Aloo Dum

This is my mother’s recipe for the classic Bengali potato curry. It’s so simple to put together – you can use Jersey Royals when in season, otherwise use the smallest whole potatoes that you can find. Unusually for my standard ‘minimal fuss’ approach, I recommend the mindful task of peeling the potatoes after they’re boiled, which is how I was brought up to do them (eventually, and slightly mutinously, asking why we didn’t just use a potato peeler). But I’ve come to agree that shape-wise, the potatoes do look best when prepared this way, but you can definitely peel them before cooking if you’re in a hurry.