Accounting for Taste

Crispy golden on the outside, light and creamy interiors—a potato lover’s dream! Yes, I admit, I do like my spuds. And these babies, bursting with flavor, rank among the best.

One ingredient is roasted garlic paste which I make homemade with EVOO and always keep on hand in the fridge. If you don’t have any, don’t sweat it, just finely mince or grate some garlic cloves. The addition of melted butter and pancetta at the end is purely over-the-top, but the pop of green from the parsley is refreshing.

We served our potatoes with pan seared lamb loin chops and sautéed broccolini.

Herb-Roasted Garlic Parmesan Baby Potatoes

Servings: 4-6
Time: 35 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1.5 lbs. baby potatoes, such as Klondike Gourmet
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. roasted garlic paste, or 4 cloves finely minced or grated
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning*
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter (optional)
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
2 oz. pancetta, small dice (optional)

*To make your own Italian seasoning: In a food processor, combine 2 Tbsp. each of basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, cilantro, thyme, savory and red pepper flakes. Blend for 1 minute, or until desired consistency is achieved.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray or olive oil and set aside.
If using pancetta, cook in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, move to a paper towel- lined plate and set aside.
Parboil baby potatoes in boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes to precook them. They’ll be more tender on the inside when roasting. Cool slightly then cut in half.
In a large bowl, combine olive oil, garlic paste, salt, herbs, pepper, and parmesan cheese together, mixing to combine. Add a little more olive oil if the parmesan cheese has absorbed most of it.
Toss parboiled potatoes halves with the garlic parmesan mixture to evenly coat.
Arrange the coated potatoes cut side down in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the potatoes, turning after 15 minutes with tongs or a spatula, until potatoes are browned and crisped at the edges, up to 10 minutes more.
Allow the potatoes to cool down for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before removing. This will ensure parmesan sticks to the potatoes, not on the baking sheet surface.
In the meantime if desired, gently melt butter in the microwave and combine with fresh chopped parsley. Remove roasted potatoes for the oven, and drizzle with the butter parsley sauce. (Or just use the chopped parsley without butter.) Add pancetta bits, toss to coat well and serve immediately.