Roasted Herb Potatoes

When I was younger we ate potatoes a lot. My Dad was pretty old school so we had meat, potatoes and veggies everyday. I didn't know any different, from what I remember the potatoes were always boiled.

A giant pot of boiled potatoes, if there were left overs Mom would slice them and fry them up the next night; but then it was boiled potatoes again. We lived on a farm, and I still remember my Mom making a big plate of dinner (mostly potatoes) and then covering it with foil and then packing the kids up, and bringing it out to him in the field while it was still hot.

After I moved out on my own, I never bought potatoes. Even now, I can only think of a couple instances that potatoes even made it into the house.

When they do, I never boil them. Ever.

Unless I'm making gnocchi. And even then only if I'm being really lazy.

Anyway, when I purchased a 2lb bag of "gems", the only water they saw was to wash them off.

Roasted Herb Potatoes are one of the easiest things in the world to make. The amount of attention they require fully depends on how large the pieces are.

For this recipe, you'll need:

• 1 bag Yellow Gem Potatoes (about 2lbs)
• 1 Shallot, finely diced
• Olive Oil
• 2-3 cloves Garlic, smashed
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 small handful Fresh Thyme 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Wash and quarter all the potatoes, leaving the peel on. For the super little ones, you can just cut them in half, because quartering them would be overkill.

Toss the potatoes and shallots with some oil, making sure they are all nicely coated. Season with salt and pepper (I used equal parts pink and white peppercorns, smashed up). Stir in the garlic. If you really like garlic, feel free to add more.

Spread the potatoes out on a large baking sheet. If you feel it's necessary, add a bit more oil. 

Take half your Thyme and remove the stems, sprinkling the herb over the potatoes. Lay remaining sprigs of Thyme in and about the potatoes. It'll look really pretty.

Cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes. At this point you are going to want to start checking them regularly. Depending on the amount of oil you used, you may need to give them a bit of a toss, so they don't stick to the sheet. As soon as they are soft, remove from the oven. 

For me, I remove the foil after 12 minutes, then start to check them every 2 or 3 minutes. I don't mind if they start to get crispy on the outside.

You can remove the sprigs before serving, or advise everyone at the table to do so.

Tired of Thyme? Use Rosemary, or Dill, or Basil, or any combination you want. Just have fun.

That's my taste on it.