Pot and wooden spoon when trying to get dinner on the table = priceless. Buys me about, oh I don’t know…2 minutes? It’s amazing what you learn to accomplish in 2 minutes when you’re a Mom. But I digress…
Hi everyone! It’s September and that means my most favorite time of the year is approaching. Fall food is really the best, in my opinion. The soups, stews, chili, homemade bread (a goal of mine this year..), and herb-roasted vegetables. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard — my own drool for a change.
We decided to grill steaks this evening for Labor Day and I asked my husband what he wanted me to do with the potatoes. He requested his favorite, herb-roasted potatoes. Fine by me! It’s easy, tasty, and includes a bunch of health-benefitting herbs that you can play and experiment with. It’s even a hit with my little guy Matthew. And of course, it makes me feel a little “autumn-y” in the kitchen even though it is still 98 degrees in Texas.
Potatoes often get a bad rap. They fall under of the very broad, “don’t eat anything white” category that has always bothered me as a dietitian. Cauliflower is white…but very nutritious. Anyways…..when using proper portion control and when they’re not pulverized into a french-fry or chip, they are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Sprinkle them with the antioxidant powers of herbs and the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil, and you are actually looking at healthy comfort food.
This recipe has a lot of herbs that really punches up the flavor, which we like. It’s pretty much all in 1/2 teaspoons so you can speed through the recipe with just 1 measuring spoon. Less utensils to wash. Love those 4 words.
A lot of roasted potato recipes sound amazing, but do not come out crispy and instead, rather soggy. To avoid this, throw your empty baking sheet in your preheating oven so it is super hot when you pour the taters on it. Then pop it all back in the oven.
So to get to the point..here is the recipe for Herb Roasted Potatoes (serves 4-6):
Potatoes. Golden, Red, Russets, you decide. Tonight I used golden potatoes because Matthew was not going to sit there while I peeled russets. I used an entire small bag. If using russets, I usually do about 4 medium.
1/8 cup olive oil
1 T. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (really gives it a kick, we skipped this for Matthew’s sake)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
2) Put empty baking sheet in the oven (IMPORTANT, don’t skip this step.)
3) Wash and cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces, place in large bowl.
4) Drizzle with olive oil and add all seasonings, toss well until evenly coated.
5) When oven is preheated, carefully pull out baking sheet and slowly pour potatoes onto sheet. It will sizzle a lot.
6) Disperse potatoes evenly onto one layer on the baking sheet.
7) Throw them back into the oven and cook for 20-30 min, making sure to turn them about half-way through.
8) Pull them out, let cool a couple of minutes and enjoy crispy, flavorful deliciousness.
That’s it! Boring potatoes are a thing of the past.
