I came up with this recipe in a bid to spice up day-old fried potatoes that had lost their moisture and were too dry to eat on their own.

It also works for freshly fried potatoes. The sauce gives the potatoes lots of flavour and is inspired by bhajias, which are a popular snack in East Africa. The meal is easy to make and only takes about 15 minutes to cook.

Spicy Lyonnaise potatoes

Ingredients:
Bacon strips (optional)
8 large Irish potatoes (sliced and fried beforehand)
3 medium red onions
1 cup cooking oil
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon dry basil
1½ cups of water
Black pepper and salt to taste

Method:

• For the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch slices.
• Heat a cup of oil in a large skillet until bubbly.
• Gently put a handful of sliced potatoes into the oil and fry until crispy. Repeat until all the potatoes are done and set aside.
• In another pan, take two tablespoons of oil from the skillet and heat.
• Fry the bacon strips in the hot oil until crispy.
• Finely dice the onions as the bacon cooks. Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and mix it with the fried potatoes.
• Cook the onions in the same oil in order to retain the bacon flavour.
• Cook the onions until they turn soft and translucent. Add the salt, black pepper, tomato paste, soy sauce, oregano and basil to the onions and let them cook for about a minute.
• Add 1½ cups of water and reduce the heat to the lowest point. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. The sauce should turn a dark red.
• Pour it over the fried potatoes and gently mix until everything is incorporated.
• Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables or a salad.