Two of my undeniable food guilty pleasures in life are roast potatoes and Barbecue Shapes. There was something about trips to the beach in summer and sticking sandy hands into the box of Shapes just to irritate everyone else, that defined so many childhoods. This is not the exact seasoning (how good would that be?!) but the elements are there, with a crispy potatoey-edge.
1kg medium starch potatoes (sebago or Dutch creams), scrubbed, chopped into large bite-sized pieces.
generous ¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
1½ tsp chipotle powder
1½ tsp brown sugar
2½ tbsp Italian spice mix (dried garlic, onion, tomato, red capsicum and herbs)
4 tbsp finely grated parmesan
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Add the chopped potatoes to a large roasting dish in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Combine the spice mix in a small bowl then add to the potatoes. Toss again to coat.
4. Roast for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and caramelised and just cooked through. If in the first 20 minutes of cooking you are concerned the potatoes are taking on too much colour and the spices are burning, cover tightly with foil, then remove the foil for the final 5-10 minutes of cooking time.
5. Taste and season with salt and pepper then throw over the parmesan and use salad servers to toss the potatoes so the cheese melts. Serve hot.
Tip: If you can get your hands on dehydrated tomato powder from a gourmet grocer, I recommend adding about ½ tablespoon to the spice mix.
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