Roasted Potatoes & Coconut Turmeric Sauce

One year ago the BF and I did an abbreviated version of Whole30 (we allowed for an exception...or two). He lost 8.5 pounds and thought it was pretty easy to stay on the program. [Ed. note: You give me meat an potatoes and I shall find a way to survive.] I didn't fare that well in the weight-loss department, but it was a terrific reboot, and the real saving grace was the coconut milk sauce I developed that was incorporated into everything. With the exception of Indian and Thai dishes, I rarely used coconut milk. This turned out to be a worthwhile challenge, and the result was a savory sauce that is a brilliant dairy-free option.

Here the coconut milk –infused into a garlic turmeric sauce– is a perfect foil to the crunchy cabbage, spicy chives and crispy skinned potatoes. We actually had this as a main course, but it would work as a side dish for steak, chicken, pork, or any protein. (We are unapolegetic carnivoires.)

We will be hopping on the Whole30 again soon, and certainly will be incorporating this into the process.

Inspired by Dolly and Oatmeal
Number of servings: 2-3 entrees or 4-6 side dishes

Ingredients
Potatoes

• 2 pounds baby Dutch or fingerling potatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
• ¼ cup chives, minced
• Black sesame seeds

Coconut-Garlic-Turmeric Sauce

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder (sweet curry from Penzey's was used here)
• 1 ½ tablespoons grated fresh turmeric or 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk (full fat was used)
• 2 teaspoons tahini paste (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Cayenne (to taste) optional

Directions
Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 450 °F. Rinse and dry the potatoes thoroughly, then slice in half lengthwise. Toss on a large baking sheet with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Place potatoes cut side down and spread out evenly on baking sheet. Roast at 450 °F for 20-25 minutes (longer if needed), until potatoes are caramelized, crispy, and fork tender.
3. Place cabbage on platter or in shallow salad bowls. Top with potatoes. Drizzle with coconut sauce and garnish with chives, avocado and black sesame seeds. 

Coconut-Garlic Turmeric Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Saute shallots and garlic until softened, but not browned. Mix in curry powder and turmeric and saute 1 minute. Whisk in coconut milk and cook for 20 minutes or until it thickens to a gravy-like consistency. Whisk in tahini paste and apple cider vinegar and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Take a hand-held-immersion or standing blender and blend until very smooth. Taste. Add salt and cayenne if needed.