I'm indulging in these hot potatoes this holiday season. Although untraditional, if you like spice, you are going to love the wow-zap-pow of these spicy nuggets. These gunpowder wedges are a nod to the crazy, fabulous fries from Hip Vegan in Ojai, CA where we ate recently after a visit to the Krishnamurti Foundation.

Making up what I imagined they might have used on their fries, I have taken Yukon Gold and Yellow Finn potatoes, which I normally toss in olive oil and sea salt, and have altered them with a jazzy, Indian leaning spice mix. You can make your own garam masala as I did, or simply use a mix that you already love. Remember, toasting your spices in a dry pan really pops the flavor factor.

It's fun to take Thanksgiving standards and give them a major revamp. Here's to taking your holiday feast in new directions. Eat them as they are, or dip these fancy fries in ketchup, chutney, or sour cream to cool the heat!

Ingredients
Yukon Gold and-or Yellow Finn potatoes
olive oil
sea salt
garam masala*
cayenne
Aleppo chili flakes
curry powder

Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place spices in a dry pan and lightly toast. Cut potatoes into bite size wedges and set aside. In a separate bowl mix a balance of sea salt, toasted garam masala and curry powder into a blend. I personally tend to go lighter on the curry and heavier on the garam masala. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle spice blend over potatoes and toss until nicely coated with oil and spices. Place potatoes on a tray without much overlapping, leaving room for the potatoes to crisp up nicely. Shake the tray and flip the potatoes over occasionally with a spatula to get a crunchy crust on all sides. Bake until tender inside and crisp outside. Serve with ketchup, chutney, sour cream, or all on their own. Our Gunpowder potato wedges bring unexpected life to your holiday table. Have a Happy-Some Like It Hot-Thanksgiving!

*Garam Masala is an aromatic spice blend usually dominating in cumin, coriander, and cardamom. The following blend does not contain coriander, only because I did not have any on hand. I rarely use measurements, so you are on your own here with creating the balance you like best. My blend came out with just the right cayenne, chili flake forward balance that I was looking for. Most traditional garam masalas will not have cayenne and chili flakes, so be sure to add them and the curry powder if using a pre-made masala blend. As usual in The White Lotus Kitchen, go with your own instincts and taste buds. Ingredients below are listed in order of greatest to least percentage.

cayenne pepper
Aleppo chili flakes
cumin
cardamom
black pepper
cinnamon
a whisper of nutmeg
a whisper of clove