Look. Not everything you cook has to be a long, precise recipe. Sometimes when you’re cooking steak or brisket or roasted chicken for dinner, you just want a side dish that doesn’t require one ounce of thought.
Because when you think about it, thinking is exhausting! I do so much thinking some days, by dinnertime my brainmatter is nothing but a pool of mushy goo. The last thing I need is sink even more thought into…potatoes.
So I really like to make these.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You need a very hot oven in order to sizzle and brown the surface of the potatoes as they cook on the inside.
Start with scrubbed and dry potatoes. Any potatoes. I like russets or large baking potatoes. We’ll use four today, but you can raise or lower that number according to how ravenous your beasts are.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into quarters to make 8 long wedges per potato.
Violently throw the potatoes into a large bowl.
Now, violently drizzle in about 1/4 cup olive oil. I also drizzle a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into the bowl for flavor…but be aware that butter starts SUH-MOKIN’ in the oven.
A little smoke never bothers me, though. Adds to the ambiance of my house.
Anyway, toss the potato wedges around, then add plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
NOTE: You can also add in minced garlic, seasoned salt, 2 or 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (delicious!), cayenne pepper, paprika…whatever makes your skirt fly up. Then toss it all around to coat.
ANOTHER NOTE: Do not underseason the potatoes, PLEASE. Salt away!
Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes.
Use a spatula to stir around the potatoes, then shake the pan a bit and return it to the oven for another 20 minutes or so—or until golden brown and sizzling.
These are sizzling. You can’t hear them, but they are.
Then sprinkle them with whatever fresh herbs you have handy. This is flat leaf parsley…but finely minced rosemary is delicious, too.
I like to really lay on the herbs because I think it makes the potatoes look pretty and not like the typical weeknight side dish.
There’s nothing to this recipe—nothing! The simplicity is criminal!
And most importantly, you can relish the fact that you just prepared a side dish without using a single brain cell.
Enjoy cooking, my friends!
Lotsa Love,
Pioneer Woman
