Rosemary + Garlic Roasted Potatoes

I think the humble potato may be one of my favorite foods. There are so many yummy things to do with them … potato chips (US), french fries (US) / chips (UK), mashed potatoes, and today’s topic, roasted potatoes. This recipe is quite easy to prep, is forgiving of small errors, and you can substitute many flavoring choices if you don’t have something available.

So let’s get to it. I originally found this on FoodTV.com, but have adapted it to my own preferences.

Materials:

• potatoes (I like small red potatoes, but Yukon golds work well too, or whatever kind you can get; and I prefer organic potatoes because this vegetable is pretty heavily sprayed in the US)
• garlic cloves (can substitute garlic salt or minced garlic)
• fresh rosemary (can substitute dried, or parsley)
• olive oil (I like organic EVOO, but you can substitute canola oil or a flavored oil if you like)

Procedure:

1. Wash potatoes, remove unsightly spots. If you’ve bought organic potatoes, leave the skins on, but make sure you have scrubbed them well.
2. Cut them to desired size. (Smaller will cook faster, but some people like larger pieces.)
3. Rinse again in water to remove some of the starch.
4. Blot the moisture with a clean dishtowel (they don’t have to be bone-dry, just get most of the water).
5. Allow 2-3 of the small red potatoes (golfball size) per person … maybe 3-4 for guys, add a few for extras.
6. Put them all in a big bowl.
7. Pour in some oil. No need to measure, just make sure they’re all lightly coated with oil. Something with a high smoke point (canola, grapeseed) is good, or olive oil works too if you don’t crank the heat too high.
8. Add rosemary. You can use dried or fresh. With fresh herb, you would want a little more herb; with dried, a little less, since the flavor tends to be more concentrated. (Personally, I hate dried rosemary, but if it’s all I have, that’s what I will use.)
9. Add garlic. If you don’t have fresh cloves, you can use garlic salt. Don’t go overboard. If you use fresh, I’d dice them up. If you use garlic salt, go light because there tends to be more salt than garlic.
10. Mix it all up for a bit.
11. Put on a baking sheet in 1 layer.
12. Bake at 350-375 for 20-30 minutes.
13. Flip once with a spatula while roasting.
14. If you cut the potato chunks large, they’ll need a little more time … check them at 30 and add some time if needed. If you cut small pieces, they can be done in about 20 minutes. Use the higher temp if you like yours a little browner, lower for less browned.
15. Give them a stab with a fork at the low end of the time range to check … they’ll be ready just as they start to get soft-ish.

Enjoy!