The Recipe Called for Rice. The Potatoes Had Other Plans.

By Tracy Lovett

The dinner that started with missing rice, and ended with potatoes worth repeating.

I was making chicken curry for dinner when I ran into one small problem: the recipe called for basmati rice, and I didn't have any rice.

What I did have was golden potatoes.

And the more I thought about those potatoes, roasted in olive oil, generously seasoned with za'atar, with coconut chicken curry ladled over the top, the less I missed the rice.

So that became dinner.

I also had a head of cauliflower and a pound of chicken tenderloins. Between those, the potatoes, and the spices in my cabinet, I had the makings of a meal. I just needed to let it be a little different from the recipe.

What I had became the starting point.

Start with what takes the longest

The potatoes went first. I sliced them about half an inch thick, coated them in olive oil, and spread them on a sheet pan. Then came the za'atar.

I love za'atar. My family loves za'atar. There was no delicate dusting happening in this kitchen.

Into a 425F oven they went, with a plan to flip them after 20 minutes and keep roasting until they were golden and easily pierced with a fork. Roughly 30 to 40 minutes altogether, depending on the thickness.

The cauliflower would go in when I flipped the potatoes. It needed less time, and I wanted browned edges without burning it. A separate pan gave it room to roast, with olive oil and seasoning, for about 20 to 25 minutes.

The cauliflower got its own pan and a later start.

That staggered start also gave me time to work on the chicken.

One more pantry substitution

The curry called for coconut milk. I didn't have a can of that, either.

But I did have powdered, freeze-dried coconut milk.

I mixed it with water according to the package directions. For this version, the starting sauce amounts were 1 1/2 cups prepared coconut milk and 1/4 cup water or broth. That would give us sauce for the chicken and enough to spoon over the potatoes.

Powdered coconut milk made another pantry substitution possible.

For the pound of chicken, the spice amounts were:

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon za'atar
• Salt to taste

Dried minced garlic is something I actually love using. It doesn't need to be an apology for not having fresh garlic. It just needs enough liquid and time to soften.

Build the sauce in the chicken pan

I cut the tenderloins into bite-size pieces and seared them in a little olive oil, then moved them to a plate while I started the sauce.

With the heat lowered, the turmeric, cumin, and black pepper went into the oil for about 20 to 30 seconds. Just enough time to become fragrant.

Then came the coconut milk, the extra liquid, and the dried garlic. Stirring brought the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.

Enough golden sauce for the chicken, and those potatoes.

The chicken and its juices went back in to finish cooking at a gentle simmer. For anyone following along, check the thickest pieces with a thermometer: chicken should reach 165F. The za'atar went in toward the end, and a splash of water was there if the sauce needed loosening.

Soon there was a pan of golden coconut sauce ready for those potatoes.

Then we took a bite

I put the roasted potatoes on the plate, added the chicken curry, and tucked the cauliflower alongside.

The sauce wasn't particularly salty. The potatoes and cauliflower were more generously salted, so when we ate everything together, it worked. That was a useful reminder to taste a whole bite before deciding that one part needs more seasoning.

But the biggest discovery?

The potatoes were the most delicious thing on the plate.

The dinner that started with missing rice, and ended with potatoes worth repeating.

The chicken had its place. The cauliflower was lovely. But those golden potatoes with za'atar and coconut curry sauce were the part I wanted another bite of.

I've started noticing that about meals lately. Sometimes the meat supplies the protein while the vegetables, seasoning, and sauce provide the flavors I'm most excited about.

This dinner gave the potatoes their turn.

I started with a recipe that called for basmati rice. I finished with a meal I would happily make with potatoes again, on purpose.

That's the kind of cooking I want more of: look at what's already in the kitchen, think about what we enjoy, and let dinner take shape from there.

Sometimes the ingredient you substitute becomes the reason you make it again.

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Source note

General food safety reference checked against USDA guidance on safe minimum internal temperatures for poultry.

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