You’ve heard of Samosas, right? They’re those triangle-shaped savory pastries served in Indian and Central Asian restaurants. They’re a surprisingly ancient dish, first mentioned in the Middle East (under the name Sambosa) during the 10th century before eventually making their way across Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and even Southeast Asia. They’re practically everywhere today – you can even find them pretty easily in South Africa, as Indian cuisine started to influence British colonial food culture.
I loved Samosas in my pre-Paleo days, and I’ve been wanting to tackle them for a while. The problem is, well, pastry. I tend not to fiddle with baked goods and leave them up to the masters (see: Jenni Hulet and her book, My Paleo Patisserie). So after a bit of brainstorming, I settled on the idea of Samosa-flavored mashed potatoes. I like this idea because, heck, most people are probably eating mashed potatoes anyway, so why not kick them up a notch in terms of flavor and vegetable count.
What makes this dish fun is that it packs a wallop of flavor with only a little bit of extra cooking time. Since mashed potatoes have so much hands-off time, we fill that time with whipping up the mix-ins you see above. Multitasking ftw.
Samosa Mashed Potatoes (Gluten-free, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Whole30-friendly)
4 tbsp ghee, divided
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch mustard seeds (black preferred, yellow okay)
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)
2 carrots, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2″ fresh ginger, minced)
1/2 white pepper
1 cup frozen peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1. In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the ghee over medium heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds, and cook until the mustard seeds start to pop, about 1 minute, then add the onion. Toss the onion in the ghee then reduce heat to low; allow to sauté and caramelize for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is a good time to slice and prep your other ingredients.
2. Add the potatoes to a large stockpot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes by at least 1″. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced by a fork, about 15 minutes.
3. About 10 minutes before the potatoes are ready, let’s finish the mix-ins. Increase the skillet heat to medium, then add the garlic and jalapeño. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the carrots. Sauté until the carrots are softened, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally; stir in the garam masala, curry powder, salt, and white pepper, then gently stir in the peas and remove from heat.
4. When the potatoes are ready, strain them through a colander and drain for a second, then return them to the stockpot. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee and the cream or coconut milk, then mash with a hand masher or fork until mostly mashed but still chunky. Stir in the mix-ins and cilantro, then taste, adding salt, white pepper, or ghee as needed, then serve.
** This dish can be used the next day to make Samosa Patties; simply form the cold potato mixture into patties and pan-fry over med/high heat in some ghee. Delicious!
** To make this a full meal, add 1 lb ground beef or lamb to the skillet when you add the onion, and reduce heat to low once the meat is no longer pink; finish the rest of the recipe as indicated.
Serve with a curry like Lamb Vindaloo or Chicken Tikka Masala, or enjoy on its own while reading comic books (Oliver made out like a bandit during Free Comic Book Day over the weekend).
The Domestic Man 
I was under the impression potatoes were not paleo. Was I wrong?
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It depends on the Paleo group you are reading (I tend to stay away from the various camps!). Some of the older movements still insist that they’re not “Paleo”, but most now acknowledge that it has a place in a Paleo template if well-tolerated. Whole30, one of the more stringent adaptations of Paleo, accepted it as a Paleo-friendly food last year: http://whole30.com/2014/07/new-whole30/
Here’s my take on it: https://thedomesticman.com/2014/07/22/tuna-stuffed-potatoes/
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My own take is that potatoes are fine if you don’t over-do… and you don’t consume them as in the form of my old nemesis, potato chips… So I eat them ever so often, but cooked as a whole food. This recipe sounds awesome!
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Carbs don’t make people fat just like fat does not. Too much food does. “Low carb” or “no carb” is a myth just like a diet without balance or one that says one particular macronutrient is. Whole food carbohydrates are VERY healthy and integral in the human diet. Even if potatoes are not well tolerated, there are plenty of other forms of whole food carbohydrates to eat such as rice, fruit, yams, beets, etc. Stear WAY clear of the zealots, they can make you sick and fit way quicker than carbs ever would….
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Great post
Design your blog is also great, how do you think to my blog
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You sir are a genius.
Added to my weekly shopping list.
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Brilliant!
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Great idea! My husband is going to love this :-)
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Samosa’s are yum.
The same mashed potatoes mentioned here, minus the carrots, is used in Pani Puri/Gol Gappa! :D
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wow this sounds really interesting! thanks for sharing!
styleandchocolates
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This look absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. i’ll have to try this myself sometime soon!
The point of the Paleo diet is, and I feel some people forget this, to not only diet, but to eat delicious foods at the same time. It’s the only diet I’ve come across that cuts out food groups, yet still focusses on everyone’s need to eat great food.
I’m a real foodie, and would not survive on any other diet, but Paleo has been very good for me. I’ve written about one of my favourite cookbooks: http://cookbook-reviews.net/review-the-paleo-recipe-book/
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Yum! Interesting twist on Asian cuisine!
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i think theirs no twist in it , my mother makes it at home that to when i was small
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Nice post. I make samosa at home. My son likes the one with cottage cheese and chicken mince. They are pretty famous from the city I come from.
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Omg, I LOVE samosas…the combo of the pastry wrap and the spiciness are not my friend though, so I’m so excited to be able to recreate these flavors at home! Thanks again for a great “ethnic” recipe! <3
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Thanks for the recipe – this looks delicious! I’ve made these before with simple turmeric & cumin spiced but your ingredients are much more complex and I love the idea of coconut milk. Will definitely give this a try!
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Genius!
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I dearly love potatoes, so anything I add makes them even better. Will definitely try this recipe. Thanks!!
As far as exercise is concerned, would you like to play tennis with me? Haven’t played in 5 years, so you could beat me, hands down.
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we have those in kenya and they move really fast,people love em.
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I tried this recipe and I can attest to the fact that this recipe IS AMAZING!!!
Try it! right now! you wont regret it :)
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Haha, awesome!
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can’t wait to try
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Russ – I feel like I have hit the jackpot with your recipes! I have never before run into a chef’s collection of recipes that were so in tune with the way I like to eat and like to cook! Outstanding job!
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Regina, happy to be of service!
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Thoughts on freezing leftovers? Do you think this would freeze well?
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Cheryl, I would say that it would freeze well!
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Just made this- yum! Tastes excellent and exactly like what it’s meant to be. When I can’t be bothered scanning and filtering out crappy recipes, I just cook one of yours and I know it will be delicious!!! I don’t even need to make changes the way I usually do to recipes.
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