Spuds at their best

All things sweet might seem like my cup of tea, but I love all things salty too. Ask my mom! my best friend and I, as children (I still do and I'm sure she does too :p ) would sprinkle salt on anything and when it came to lime and salt on raw mangoes, yummm, the more the better, with a dollop of chilli powder for good measure. Anyways, I've digressed enough already :p . Point of the matter is, if cakes are not your thing, don't fret, I have something savory coming right up. Just tried this dish for a light dinner a few hours ago and encouragement from hubby made me want to share it with you guys, however simple it may be. 


Baked potatoes topped with a mint yoghurt dressing and a side of pea and corn salad (serves 2)

For the potatoes you will need:
4 to 5 potatoes
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons mixed herb seasoning (Any off the shelf mixed herb seasonings will do. If you don't have this, just mix some dried herbs - oregano, red chilli flakes, basil and thyme together)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pod garlic, slightly smashed


For the salad you will need:
100 grams frozen sweet corn
100 grans frozen peas
1 teaspoon salted butter
1 teaspoon pepper
Juice of half a lemon


For the mint yoghurt dressing you will need: 
4 tablespoons yoghurt
a pinch of salt
a pinch of paprika
a few sprigs of mint leaves chopped


Method:
Wash the potatoes thoroughly, making sure all the grime is off. Cut them into random-sized chunks. Drizzle your baking dish with olive oil, drop in the potatoes and sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, herb seasonings and the lightly smashed garlic pod (with the skin on). Pop them into a preheated oven (210 C) and bake for 30 minutes. 
     While the potatoes are baking, you can get started with the salad. Simply boil the sweet corn kernels in water till they are tender and drain. This hardly takes 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat the process with the peas and pop them all in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, pepper and lime juice and mix till all the corn and peas are coated in the glossy butter and serve. For the yoghurt dressing, simply mix all the ingredients and pour it into a serving bowl. 

     Toss the potatoes after about 20 minutes of baking to ensure even baking and continue to bake them. After 30 minutes of baking, grill the potatoes for another 5 to 10 minutes so that the tops are browned. Serve the potatoes with the bits of the crunchy baked garlic (I love garlic, but if you aren't that fond of it, toss them away before serving). Drizzle the yoghurt dressing over the potatoes and serve.