Quick Potato Curry with Lentils

Easy curry in less than 45 minutes. Bright flavors of lemon and curry spice with satisfying potatoes and lentils. Perfect for a family dinner.

Take a look. Right now: what do you have in your pantry? Could you make a meal from it?

That was The Recipe ReDux challenge this month:

Cook with at least 3 ingredients that are actually in your refrigerator or pantry right now. Try not to go to the store to buy anything new.

Rummaging through my pantry, here’s what I found:

• 2 Sweet potatoes getting a bit shriveled
• Potatoes.  I always have potatoes. Do you know how many dinners you can make from potatoes?
• Curry powder. Several varieties from not-so-spicy to hot. It’s my favorite spice (Thus my handle @TspCurry!)
• Mustard seeds. Which I’ve been wanting to toast – after hearing about how FUN it is when they pop in a hot skillet, on a recent podcast of Milk Street Radio
• Lentils – They cook in only 20 minutes, and require no pre-soak.

Now, I live in the country, surrounded by corn and soybean fields, so you’d think that take-out isn’t much of a temptation for me. Wrong. Thanks to my close proximity to a major highway, there’s a Subway and an amazing little Italian restaurant only 3 miles away.

So, here’s my pantry list to make quicker-and-healthier-than-takeout-meals:

• Canned beans
• Dried beans – for when you remember to soak overnight
• Canned tomatoes
• Canned fruit. Because sometimes we’re out of fresh. Or the kids are sick of the apples, oranges, bananas we’ve been eating all winter
• Canned tuna and canned chicken. Here’s how to find a healthy can of canned chicken.
• Low-sodium chicken broth and/or wine
• Pasta
• Instant brown rice
• Cabbage. We put it in dishes all winter long for crunch
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Spices

From the above lists, we make an infinite number of dishes, using these basic steps:

1. In a large skillet, cook onions in oil for a few minutes.
2. Add spices to soften/toast: basil and oregano for Mediterranean flavors. Mint and fennel for Greek. Caraway and dill seed for Scandanavian. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta, rice and/or potatoes. Combine with spices and onion in skillet.
4. Add canned tuna, chicken, beans and/or cooked lentils. Heat to warm, add 1/4 cup wine or chicken broth or potato/pasta-cooking-water if dish seems dry.
5. Top with crunchy (or sauteed) cabbage and/or frozen (cooked) veggies.
6. Hello dinner! Make a big pot. Everyone in your family will love at lease some part of this wonder dinner.  On the table in less than 45 minutes: Quick Potato Curry with Lentils via @TspCurry #TheRecipeReDux Click To Tweet

Quick Potato Curry with Lentils

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• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

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Description

Easy curry that goes together in less than 45 minutes. Bright flavors of curry, lemon with satisfying potatoes and lentils. Perfect for a family dinner.

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Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup dry lentils
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled in strips to retain half the peel (for extra fiber and nutty taste!)
• 2 white potatoes, peeled in strips (see photo below)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or lemon juice
• Optional: fresh parsley or cilantro

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Instructions

1. Combine lentils and broth in a pot, bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low, simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. CHECK 5 MINUTES BEFORE DONE to make sure enough liquid remains to prevent burning lentils before they are tender.
2. Dice all potatoes in 1/2-inch dice. Add to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. In a large saute pan or cast iron skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion about 4 minutes. Push onions to outer edges of skillet. Add mustard seed and cover skillet with a lid or oil screen or baking tray to prevent mustard seeds from popping out of the pan! Cook 1-2 minutes to toast seeds. Add curry powder and cook 1 minute stirring to toast, add wine or lemon juice and cook 1 minute. Turn off heat.
4. When potatoes and lentils are done, add lentils including any cooking liquid, to onions and curry in skillet. Drain potatoes, preserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add potatoes to skillet and a little cooking liquid if it dish seems dry. Heat until warm, stirring.
5. Top with parsley or cilantro if desired.

Can you make a meal by using what’s in your pantry? What’s your go-to, quick-fix dinner?