Potato Wonton Crisps (Afghan Bolani)

This recipe is a tried and true favorite APPETIZER in my family. Mom would make these when we were younger and we have yet to outgrow them. On Tuesdays we were vegetarian because of religion and it was quite a struggle to get us kids to eat vegetables but my mom quickly learned her kids will eat anything FRIED and CRISPY! These potato crisps sometimes served as an afternoon snack and other times were a bribe to eat the daal (lentils) that was also on our plate.

These are a great appetizer for parties and can easily be made and stored days in advance. Freeze the uncooked crisps on parchment paper at first and then move them to a zip lock bag once they are frozen; just thaw them at room temperature for 10mins prior to cooking whenever you wish to serve them.

PREP TIME: 35 minutes l COOK TIME: 10 minutes l TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 medium-large russet potatoes

• 1 package Nasoya Won Ton

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1 inch ginger, grated

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 scallions, chopped finely

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon salt, you can always add more to your taste

• Vegetable or any neutral cooking oil

Directions

Serving: makes about 50 crisps

1. Peel and cut each potato into 6 pieces and add to a large pot of cold water. Bring the water with potatoes to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

2. Drain the potatoes from the water and allow the potatoes to cool slightly before moving them to a large bowl and mashing them. You can do this with a fork or potato masher but just be sure not to leave any big chunks or you wontons may break when filling.

3. Once the potato base is evenly mashed, add the garlic, ginger, cumin, scallions, butter and salt.

4. Set up a filling station with the following things and get to work!

   • Small bowl of warm water

   • Large baking sheet lined with parchment paper

   • Wonton wrappers

   • Potato mix

5. Lay one piece of the wonton wrapper across the palm of your hand and wet the 2 sides on the wrapper. Place one teaspoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper and fold the wrapper diagonally flat across your hand. Squeeze together the ends with your fingers, place flat on the parchment and continue on making more.

Cooking

1. Add 1-2 inches of neutral oil into a wide saucepan and bring to 325 degrees. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, look for the oil to start to ripple slightly in the pan. I also test my oil with a tiny wonton wrapper piece and if it bubbles and floats to the top, you’re ready to go!

2. Gently lay in the crisps into the oil a few at a time but try not to overcrowd the pan. The crisps will bubble up and should be ready to flip in about 2-3minutes.

3. Flip and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds – 1 minute and then set onto a paper towel lined plate. The plate will soak up any excess oil that comes along.

4. Sprinkle lightly with salt when you take them out and serve hot!

Don’t forget to try these with my Afghani white sauce or Peruvian style green sauce for a kick!