Oven-Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
The innocent potato has caused more trouble than any other root vegetable in history. It’s driven the Irish from their homeland, embarrassed Vice President Dan Quayle (or it it Quayl?) and today lead to the arrest of a 75-year-old grandmother. According to the Clearwater Local6 news, Jean Merola was handcuffed, taken into custody and fingerprinted because she refused to budge from the drive-thru window while waiting for a coffee and order of fries. No coffee connoisseur would order java from McDonald’s, so she must have been holding out for the spuds. One word from the cops and I’d have taken it as a sign from the kitchen gods to move on.
I’m not being virtuous when I say this. I’m simply not tempted by French fries. Most fast food versions are soggy, overly salted and taste faintly of the cardboard in which they’ve been shoved. And I’m never sure if they’re made from real potatoes or reconstituted flakes.
The only potatoes that tempt me are homemade and oven-roasted. I don’t care if you use Red Pontiac, White Rose or Yukon Gold. Just roast them and I’m yours. Add rosemary and it would take an entire police force to hold me back. Toss in some garlic and you’d have to call in the military to deny me my share.
For those who throw Atkins caution to the wind, here’s the recipe:
Perfectly Innocent Oven-Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
Printable recipe
Serves 4 normal person or just me
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes (I prefer to leave the skin on, but you can peel them without penalty)
- olive oil (or olive oil and melted butter)
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 3 cloves garlic (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Heat olive oil in a roasting pan over medium heat.
- Add garlic, potatoes and rosemary, stirring until sizzling.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 30 minutes in preheated oven, stirring occasionally.
- Increase heat to 425F and bake another 20 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
* If you prefer, you can boil the potatoes ahead of time for 15 minutes, drain well. When you’re ready to cook them, follow steps 2 to 4, then bake at 425F for half an hour.