Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

I doubt I'm the only person whose heart flutters a bit when she sees a nice pile of perfectly roasted potatoes on her plate.  I mean, who doesn't like hot, delicious, perfectly seasoned spuds?  Add some cheese to the equation, and we're talking heavenly!  My sister and I enjoy sharing recipes with one another, and as much as we appreciate a main dish suggestion, we find ourselves indebted to one another over a successful side.  I mean, side dishes are tough!  You can spend a ton of time and energy on them, and what if they're failures?  (This is where I still find myself mourning the butternut squash bread pudding that cost a fortune but tasted horrible... the one that my dad specifically asked me to never make again... the one that taught me a magazine can make a picture look pretty all day long, but pretty doesn't always translate to edible.)  When Betsy told me she'd found a potato dish she knew would be a steady repeat for her, I was sold.  Now it's in my arsenal, and I'd like to extend it to yours.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

chefjennylyn.com

4 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. pepper
4 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Rub your stoneware with a little bit of olive oil to make sure that beautiful, delicious cheese doesn't stick.  Let's not leave any of it behind, friends.

Cube the potatoes to about 3/4-inch on all sides.  Place them in the dish.
Pour remaining ingredients over the potatoes, and mix everything together, making sure potatoes are coated well.
Bake for 30 minutes.  Then stir everything up, and bake another 15-25 minutes, letting them get golden and crispy.
Add a dusting of sea salt if you'd like.

* From one of Betsy's favorite blogs, What's Gabby Cooking.

 

I'm still at her house, so I had my sister helping on this recipe.  She measured the paprika into a Pinch Bowl while I cubed the potatoes.  She's using a spoon from the Measuring Spoon Set here.  I love how short this ingredient list is because it means I don't have to feel guilty getting help from someone who just had a baby!

Dicing potatoes!  These are on the Large Cutting Board, my favorite cutting board ever!  It has a large surface area, and then it goes right into the dishwasher.  Let's not even get started on its non-slip grippy sides.  Ok, so I'm using the 5" Santoku Knife, which is obviously covered in potato starch, and I'm putting my finished pieces in a Stainless Mixing Bowl.

Big, beautiful pile of potatoes... sign me up!

Potatoes are in the Square Baker, and other ingredients are measured into the Easy Read Mini Measuring Cup, the 1/4-Cup from the Measuring Cup Set, and a Pinch Bowl.

Grab your Mix 'n Scraper, give everything a good toss, and you're done!  Get ready for your house to smell delicious and for your dinner to be divine.  Enjoy!

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Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Side dishes can get a little willy nilly if you're not careful. Falling into a rut is the main problem people seem to have, so they serve the same sides with every meal. Then there's the problem of spending as much time on a side dish as you spent on the rest of the meal combined. This isn't a problem if you plan for it, but the "surprise - this is a two-hour task" can be a bit annoying. When I began cooking, I experimented with tons of recipes, and I found that many side dishes took forever to prepare. Worth it occasionally? Yes. Every night? No. So here I give you roasted smashed potatoes, a handy side brought to you by Cooks Illustrated. After I shared the Strawberry Cream Cake that took more time than I care to admit, I'd like to prove that not all Cooks Illustrated recipes are so labor intensive. In fact, some of them are downright simple.

Roasted Smashed Potatoes

chefjennylyn.com

2 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes (about 18), scrubbed

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions, and heat oven to 500 degrees.

Arrange potatoes on pan, and pour 3/4 cup of water into the pan. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and cook on bottom rack until skewer slips in and out of potatoes easily (poke through foil to test), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and cool 10 minutes. If any water remains in pan, blot dry with a paper towel.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons of oil over potatoes, and roll to coat. Space potatoes evenly in pan, and press firmly, flattening until 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme leaves, and season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Roast potatoes on top oven rack 15 minutes; transfer to bottom rack, and continue roasting until well browned, 20 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

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This is originally from Cook's Illustrated.

The recipe is for 18 potatoes, but I'm cooking for one person, and I don't want to eat these potatoes more than three meals in a row. You mean I don't want two potatoes per dinner nine days running? Shocker. Give the potatoes a good scrub in the large colander from the Colander & Bowl Set, and let them hang out a bit while you do other stuff.

If you've followed by blog for any length of time, you know how I am about prep work. You also know I'm obsessed with Pampered Pantry Salt and Pepper. And the Bamboo Grinder Set. And the Pinch Bowls. I seriously adore all of these products, but let me just say this about high quality salt and pepper: "This recipe is good," vs. "This recipe just changed my life." That's all.

I put the potatoes in the Medium Bar Pan, but I'd use the Large Bar Pan if I was doing a full recipe. Honestly, I think my potatoes are a bit bigger than the recipe wants them to be, but I also think I don't care. They still smashed well, as you'll see later. Look at that beautifully seasoned Stoneware! This means I never have to grease it when I bake brownies, cookies, etc.

After you've baked the potatoes as instructed, give them a smash. That's right - just mess them straight up. The Meat Tenderizer is perfect for this because it's got this flat side for flattening meat and, well, smashing potatoes that have been roasted a while. After they're smashed, you get to drench the potatoes in olive oil and seasonings before sticking them back in the oven to turn golden and crisp.

Is this recipe insanely easy? Yes. Is it cheap? Yes. Is it kind of like something you'd get in a restaurant? Yes. Did I eat more than two of the potatoes with my dinner? Maybe.

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Call me up: (205) 585-2464