These potatoes are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and three of my four boys enjoy them. You can’t knock a recipe that 75% of the boys like.   I make a kids-version of this recipe and an adult-version.  I like both, but I much prefer the adult-version with its herbs and garlic.   The kids version uses potatoes, oil, salt and that’s it.   I tell the boys that they’re french fries.

This recipe is very forgiving.   You can add as much garlic as you like, same with the herbs.  You can also vary the herbs to add whatever type you like.  I recommend fresh herbs rather than dried, if you can get them.   The picture above are the potatoes I made for the boys (i.e. plain, but still delicious.)

Roasted Potatoes

3 pounds small red potatoes
1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper
crushed garlic
fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Wash and dry the unpeeled potatoes. Put the potatoes into a pot of boiling water and boil them until they’re just tender when you pierce them with a knife. Drain the potatoes and let them cool until they’re cool enough to handle.

Cut the potatoes into 6 wedges, or just cut them in half if the potatoes are really small.  Put them into a Ziploc bag and pour in 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil, or enough to generously coat them all.  Toss the potatoes until they’re all covered in oil.   Add chopped garlic and herbs to taste (I typically use 1 – 2 tsp. chopped garlic) and toss the potatoes again until the garlic and herbs are evenly distributed. Pour potatoes in a single layer (flesh-side down) onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Generously salt and pepper to taste. Roast potatoes for about 45 minutes, turning once or twice during that time, until crispy and golden but still soft on the inside. When they’re done, remove to a large plate and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot from the oven.

Yield: 6 servings