I love potatoes. baked, stuffed, french fried, mashed, smashed, roasted. you name it. i love that they are somewhat of a blank canvas and you can add just about anything to them for a new twist. i always try to keep them simple, however. i don't add butter or full fat creams to them. i really don't think they need it. these pototoes are fantastic. when i roast potatoes, i start by par boiling them. this way, i am assured that the centers will be soft. often times if i just throw the potatoes into a high temp oven to roast them, the centers are not cooked all the way through, and the outsides are a bit more brown than i like (a.k.a. burnt). lyonnaise potatoes are french and typically made with butter - i choose to use olive oil. lyonnaise potatoes, are also made with onions. i love pototoes and onions together. these, however don't have onions in them. i guess these aren't really lyonnaise potatoes, are they? maybe these are a little more like tuscan potatoes? speaking of tuscan potatoes...if you ever head to las vegas, make sure to dine at carnevino at the pallazo hotel. they have killer tuscan fries. ok, where was i? oh yea, back to these potatoes. to make them, quarter red potatoes and put them in a pot of water with some salt. once the water comes to a boil, turn it down a bit - to a soft boil. you don't want the potatoes to break apart. boil for 12-15 minutes. in the meantime, put a baking pan in a 450 degree oven. getting the pan hot with give a nice crust to the potatoes when you put them on the tray. after you have drained the potatoes, dry them off with a paper towel. pop them on the hot baking tray and add olive oil, salt, and pepper. roast in the oven for 10 minutes, take the potatoes out and flip them. at this point i like to add minced garlic. if you add the garlic too soon it will just burn. pop the potatoes and garlic back in the oven and roast another 5-7 minutes. once the potatoes are done, sprinkle with fresh parsley. i am on a curly parsley kick right now. i just love the way it looks, tastes, and it is really easy to finely chop. try it next time you are using parsley. make sure to lightly salt the potatoes again while still hot.
