It started with a belated appreciation post for a good-looking dish posted on instagram by Mr Dini Nondumo – the senior executive in the insurance sector and former actor and producer. The Calamari potatoes with a blanket of peas was a huge hit and when I reposted it a few days later, I was overrun by public and private requests for the recipe, such is our lockdown culinary life. So here is the recipe, as requested. Enjoy, and tag us @notedmanza with your masterpieces.
Ingredients:
Baby potatoes, peas, calamari (mix both squid heads and tubes, but cut open the tubes or else they roll up into rings under the grill), Thyme, savoury herbs, garlic, fresh basil and fresh chilli.
How:
1) Thinly slice (not too thin) the potatoes. About 1.5 to 2 bags. Leave on the skin.
2) Use a wide-base pan and heat olive oil on medium heat – not too hot because when the potatoes go you don’t want to brown too quickly.
3) Pre-season the slides potatoes with course salt and 1-2 spoons of each of the herbs above.
4) Cook the potatoes on medium heat in the pan with heated oil. Should be about 15 minutes. You want them al dente and not cooked-through yet.
5) Take out the potatoes and place in oven roasting dish and cover.