I love a recipe, probably a lot more than your average Joe. I like method, and measurements and following rules (I’m an ISTJ so this makes total sense if you’re as into personality types as I am). But even I know that there are certain things that don’t require a recipe because they are intuitive. Like cooking rice, or roasting stuff. Every week I roast a ton of vegetables which I eat with a grain for my take-to-work lunches. This includes potatoes, which are arguably the simplest vegetables to roast that exist. And yet, I saw this recipe and decided to try it – and now I can never go back to my ho-hum “winging it” potatoes.
The way I’d typically roast potatoes is to cut them up into equal-ish pieces (usually skin-on because I’m lazy) and toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Maybe I’d add a little rosemary if feeling creative. Then I’d crank up the oven about to 425°F (or thereabouts). Then I’d set the timer for a semi-random time like 15 minutes, check on them, toss them again, and then roast them until they seemed done. This routine made very decent potatoes. But it didn’t make the best potatoes.
The best potatoes have so much flavor that they’re honestly really difficult to stop eating once you’ve started down that path. They’re like potato candy. Something about using Yukon golds and boiling them before roasting gives them the crispiest outside and creamiest, most flavorful inside. Not to mention the added lemon and cilantro that really make them pop. They’re also cut smaller than my usual roasted potatoes, which means a higher crispy surface-to-potato ratio!
As with most things that are the best, these potatoes do require slightly more work than the “technique” you’re probably using at the moment. You peel them, which is frankly kind of irritating on small potatoes and showcases my truly clumsy side, with potatoes slipping out of my hands and rolling on the floor, etc. There’s an extra pot to wash what with the initial boiling before roasting. But it’s honestly a small price to pay for potatoes you won’t be able to stop popping into your mouth. And when did anything great come from taking the easy way out?
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. new gold potatoes, peeled
- Salt and pepper
- 5 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
- Large handful of chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes, then drain and transfer to a wide baking dish. Cut them into 1/2-inch cubes and sprinkle over some salt and pepper, the olive oil and the garlic. Mix and turn the pieces of potato so they are coated all over with the oil.
- Roast the potato pieces in a very hot oven, preheated to 475°F, for 30 minutes, or until they are crisp and brown. Take them out, sprinkle evenly with the lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mix well, being careful not to break the potatoes.
Notes
From Arabesque
