Recipe

Tad's Roasted Potatoes

Community Pick!

Recipe
1 Question

Photo by Sarah Shatz

Chef
amanda's Notes: Last year, after having spent 5 years testing recipes (with Merrill!) for a cookbook, it was time to actually sit down and write the book. I did so in the evenings, which meant that my husband...
Last year, after having spent 5 years testing recipes (with Merrill!) for a cookbook, it was time to actually sit down and write the book. I did so in the evenings, which meant that my husband, Tad, took over cooking dinner. Tad is the type of cook who prefers to find a few recipes he likes and master them so he can get in and out of the kitchen and back to reading the paper as quickly as possible. His piece de resistance is roasted potatoes, which he makes in a cast iron pan with lightly smashed whole garlic cloves and whatever herbs are in the fridge. He blankets them with olive oil, scatters on coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper and then sticks the pan in a hot oven. They're delicious every time. Once when preparing the potatoes, though, Tad used some white potatoes that had been in the fridge for, oh, a month, give or take a few months. When the potatoes came out of the oven, they were as brown as a chestnut, with a thick, glistening crust, and as sweet as candy -- far outpacing any version he'd made before. The secret, we eventually learned, was the old potatoes. As potatoes age, their starch turns to sugar, making them denser, softer and easier to caramelize.

Expand Collapse

Serves 4

3/4 pounds old white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes Ask a question about this ingredient

Olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

8 sprigs herbs (any combination of thyme, sage and rosemary) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 garlic cloves, skins left on and lightly smashed Ask a question about this ingredient

Coarse salt Ask a question about this ingredient

Freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the potatoes in a 12-inch, well-seasoned cast iron pan -- they should fit comfortably in one layer. Douse with olive oil, like you're marinating them. Add the herbs and garlic, and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes a few times to mix in the herbs and seasoning.
Ask a question about this step
Roast in the oven, scraping up and turning the potatoes every 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are well caramelized and tender, about 40 minutes.
Ask a question about this step

6 Comments on Tad's Roasted Potatoes

maryvelasquez added about 1 year ago

Our potatoes were definitely beyond their prime and you're right, there is something about the flavor and texture that surpasses the fresher spuds.

Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.

added about 1 year ago

Thanks for letting me know -- it's fun getting comments long after I post a recipe. Keeps it alive!

STEsker added about 1 year ago

This recipe is perfectly simple. My potatoes came out of the oven crunchy on the outside, but deliciously smooth on the inside. I loved the smashed garlic. It was a nice surprise to get a hunk of a roasted clove in between potato bites.

Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.

added about 1 year ago

Just forwarded your note to Tad -- he'll be delighted!

Julia Alling added over 2 years ago

Don't think I had old potatoes, but it was lovely just the same. The large pieces of roasted herbs were delightful. This version of roasted potatoes has entered the regular rotation.

Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.

added about 1 year ago

Glad you liked it! (Sorry for slow response -- catching up!)