Secret Crispy Rosemary Potatoes
Experience: Advanced, but I’d consider this a beginner recipe.
Ease: It only has two steps and uses common ingredients.
Customizing: It’s very adaptable- thyme, sage, or parsley can be substituted for all the rosemary haters. A disposable roasting pan can even be used in a pinch. This recipe can be scaled up or down. Just make sure the potatoes fall into a single layer in the roasting pan. For a fancy version, use tiny new potatoes. After draining potatoes, return them to the pot, cover and shake vigorously. It’s roughs up the surface of the potatoes and will ensure crispy goodness.
Repeatability: This makes it to my table at least once a week! Super simple to put together, and there’s minimal mess.
Roasted potatoes are a cooks dream and nightmare. I’ve never met a person who didn’t love potatoes, especially ones vibrant with herbs and shatteringly crisp. But, from a home cook’s perspective, they’re a disaster waiting to happen. Reheated potatoes are soggy, never as crunchy as they’re supposed to be, no matter how they’re warmed up. Potatoes prepped in advance oxidize and give off an alien brown glow.
My secret: parboiling the potatoes. A few extra minutes to the prep time and one extra pot to wash shaves time off the roasting period. Another bonus- potatoes that can be prepped ahead and cooked practically to order. Try this recipe once, and I guarantee, there’s no looking back. Restaurant quality potatoes with only a knife, pot, roasting pan and some pantry staples!
Ingredients: (serves 3-4)
- 4 large potatoes
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt & coarsely ground black pepper
Technique:
1. Leaving the skin on, slice the potatoes 1/2″ thick.
2. Transfer to a pot large enough to hold the potatoes, add salt, and fill with water. The water should taste salty.
3. Bring to a boil, and simmer until almost tender to the tip of a knife. Al dente potatoes are the goal!
4. Meanwhile, grease a large roasting pan and preheat the oven to 425.
5. Prep the rosemary: pull leaves off the stems, and coarsely chop.
6. Drain potatoes, toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into roasting pan. It’s okay if the potatoes break apart- that just means more surface area to become fabulously crunchy. At this point, the potatoes can be covered with foil and held until ready to roast. They won’t turn brown or black since they’re already mostly cooked through.
7. Roast until potatoes are browned and crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and eat immediately.
Melissa’s Nutritional Tidbit: This is a fantastic recipe for so many reasons. Firstly, Sylvia gave us an amazingly simple recipe and tips to make the process easier and the result more delicious. Potatoes are a staple in most households, prepared and cooked in a myriad of ways. This potato recipe is ridiculously easy, even for a novice in the kitchen. If you want to hold off on the salt, you can definitely do that and add more herbs to the mix. Potatoes can be incredibly nutritious (potassium!) if prepared and cooked in the right way- this recipe is a great example of that!
SHARE:
