Sometimes, simple is best. I'm often inclined to throw every fancy ingredient in the pantry into whatever dish I'm making, in the hopes that a dash of truffle oil and some fancy mirin and a little chili mango and....ugh, what an awful combination!
Point is, I've learned that good olive oil, salt and pepper are often all you need to make something great. These potatoes are a perfect example; the tricks here aren't in the pantry -- they're in the oven and on your watch. Think temperature and time; whenever potatoes come out too mushy or too dry or too something else, it's because I wasn't precise in my choices of cooking time and temperature. This recipe is sure to produce the kind of consistent results that will please you and your guests.
Easy-as-pie Roasted Potatoes
serves 4.
10 small purple, red or fingerling potatoes (I like to use a mix)
salt
pepper
good olive oil
chili powder, optional
Preheat the oven to 315 degrees.
(Can you guess the steps?)
Cut potatoes into triangular shapes.
Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and chili powder, if you like.
Put your thumb over the spout in the olive oil so that it drips slowly; drizzle with restraint.
(Alternatively, toss all ingredients in a plastic bag -- I don't like this method because you lose a lot of the olive oil and spices that way.)
Put the potatoes in a shallow pan in a single layer.
Bake anywhere from 1-2 hours, until the potatoes are crunchy but still moist, and the skin is crispy.