Simple Roast Potatoes – From an Idahoan!
This recipe, handed down from my father’s family, is intended as a side dish for a roast of turkey or beef. It is a reminder of my family’s emigration from Ireland at the height of the potato famine in 1848. It is a simple dish, enunciating the flavors of the potato accented by a few common herbs.
- 1 – 1.5 lb waxy potatoes (fingerling)
- 5 Tbsp clarified butter*
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 – 10 chopped sage leaves
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut the potatoes in half length-wise, and cook over a steaming rack (a colander over boiling water will do) about 20 minutes until done (may be cooked covered in the microwave under a low power setting).
Melt the butter with the herbs in a skillet, and then add the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in the skillet under moderate heat, or in a warm (400 degree) oven for ten to twenty minutes until the cut edges are browned. Remove from the heat and salt and pepper to taste. A simple side dish that is best served warm.
*Clarifying butter is easy but messy and takes time, not something I need in the kitchen. That is why I now use Ghee in place of the clarified butter. Ghee is clarified butter, and can be found in containers in the refrigerator section of many stores, including some local Safeway stores, Whole Foods, and Draeger’s. Or, you can make clarified butter in advance – it keeps quite well refrigerated or frozen.
