These potatoes are it for me—the end all, be all of roasted potatoes. These potatoes and I, we are walking hand in hand off into the sunset together. They are that good. Extremely crispy on the outside, exceptionally creamy on the inside: everything you could ever wish for in a potato. Because, you know, we all have wishes for our potatoes, right?
This recipe is more of a method than anything else. The ingredient list is short and simple: potatoes, olive oil, and salt, but this means that there is a lot of room for customization: garlic, rosemary, parsley, it would all work!
This recipe comes from my holy grail of magazines/food websites: Cooks Illustrated. The recipe developers at Cooks Illustrated are scientists and chefs rolled into one, trying recipes dozens of times in order to create the perfect recipe. In their search for the ultimate roasted potato, they found that a combination of par-boiling the potatoes, tossing them with some olive oil, and finishing them off in a really hot oven on a pre-heated baking sheet turns the humble potato into something almost too good to dip into ketchup. (I said almost too good.)
Roasted Potato Rounds
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- About 1 1/2 pounds small yellow potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack in your oven. Preheat oven to 450°F.
Slice potatoes into 1/2" rounds. Place in a large pot and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt. Add cold water until the potatoes are covered by about an inch. Bring to boil over high heat, and then reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.
Drizzle potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a couple pinches of sea salt. Using a rubber spatula, toss the potato rounds in the olive oil for a good minute or so, making sure each potato is completely covered.
Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and drizzle it with the last tablespoon of olive oil. Carefully transfer the rounds onto the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove baking sheet from oven, and using a spatula or tongs, flip the potatoes over. Continue to roast until this second side is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
adapted from cooks illustrated
Enjoy!
- maddie
