This curry potato salad is adapted from reader favourite roasted new potato salad, also with lentils and greens. In this case, new potatoes are roasted with cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, then topped off with more spice in the form of a ginger vinaigrette. I was slightly concerned early on that it would be too much. It isn’t. Surprisingly, it’s a bit subtle, and blends well with the herbs and lentils.
The potatoes need 30 minutes to cook, and if you have lentils cooked already or make them while the potatoes are in the oven, this can be on the table in just over half an hour. Pretty good for a weeknight meal, especially in busy spring and summer months.
There are a couple other variations of this kind of meal-in-one potato salads on OE. Try this asparagus potato salad for springtime, or rosemary potato salad in winter.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Red onion: a small amount of very finely sliced red onion makes all the difference here. If you’re very sensitive to raw onion, either soak it in ice water for half an hour before mixing in, or omit. Sweet onion or green onions would be a good substitution.
- Lentils: black (beluga) lentils can be trickier to find, but brown and green lentils work just well. They won’t hold their shape quite as well as black lentils.
- Potatoes: a nice waxy new potato is ideal for this recipe, especially if they’re small enough to keep whole. Annabelle is a good fairly common version that works well here.
- Greens: this can be baby spinach, rucola (rocket/arugula), or any other baby greens you have on hand like chard or kale. Don’t use lettuce greens.
- Herbs: cilantro (coriander) is a bit softer than parsley, and the taste is very good with the warm spices, so use it if you like the taste.
Recipe Notes
This is best served warm, so have everything ready for when the potatoes come out of the oven, and be prepared to serve immediately. It’s pretty good at room temperature but not as nice chilled.
I use whole cumin for the potatoes rather than ground, which does give a slightly different flavour, but it doesn’t really matter. I’ve never tried with fresh grated turmeric for this recipe.
How to Store
Storage: transfer cooled leftovers to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. The potatoes to tend to dry out slightly when stored.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Check the potato type: most will be labeled, either in the shop or when you buy seed potatoes, as something like waxy or floury. You want waxy potatoes for this – floury or starchy are better for mashing or making dumplings.
- Mix while warm: this is a whole style of potato salad, very different from mayonnaise versions, and it’s key that the tubers are still hot when mixed with the greens and vinaigrette. This wilts the greens and also means that the potatoes absorb some of the dressing right away.
More Potato Recipes
Potato Leek Soup
Roasted Potato Tacos
Potato Galette with caramelised onions
Cauliflower Potato Soup
If you make this Curry Potato Salad or any other seasonal main dishes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Curried Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram new potatoes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin*
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 200 grams cooked black lentils
- 60 grams baby spinach or other baby greens
- ½ small red onion halved and very finely sliced
- 20 grams cilantro or parsley chopped
Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice 1 lemon ~3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Cut the potatoes into roughly equal pieces if needed, then place them onto a large baking sheet. Add the olive oil and spices, and mix until the potatoes are coated.1 kilogram new potatoes, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin*, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Roast the potatoes for about 30 minutes, or until golden and with a crisp exterior.
- Add the roasted potatoes, lentils, greens, onion, and cilantro to a large bowl. Top with the vinaigrette and mix until fully combined. Serve warm. Leftovers will keep well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.200 grams cooked black lentils, 60 grams baby spinach, 1/2 small red onion, 20 grams cilantro or parsley
Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or jar and stir or shake until mixed.3 tablespoons olive oil, Juice 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
John from Australia says
Absolutely delicious.
The spices and the acidity from the lemon and ginger work so well together.
Subtle, but ever present.
It’s nice to have a potato salad that isn’t heavy and gluggy.
Thank you
Alexandra Daum says
Lovely to hear, thanks John!
Liz says
We had this as a side for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! I didn’t add the lentils since it was a side AND beluga lentils can’t be found in the city I live in. The spices and vinaigrette make it so delicious. This will be in our rotation from now on.