Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes

[bgsufn]

We tried these today... very tasty.

2 lb. red potatoes
3 Tbs. olive oil
salt & pepper
1 tsp. crushed dried rosemary
1 head of garlic

Cut potates into wedges. Toss with salt and pepper, then add olive oil and toss again.

Place the potatoes in a 9x13 in. baking pan. Arrange the pieces so that the skin side is facing up. This will give us a nice crust on the cut side as it bakes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of crushed dried rosemary over the potatoes.

Crush a head of garlic from above with the heel of your hand to separate the cloves. Take 2 or 3 cloves (according to taste, but don't be shy) and just throw them in whole with the potatoes. Don't bother peeling or crushing the garlic, just toss them in. The skin forms a seal around the cloves allowing the garlic to cook in its own vapor, though enough of the vapor escapes to flavor the potatoes.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Then turn potatoes so that skin is down and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

What you have at the end is a roasted garlic puree contained in its own little skin. Serve them whole mixed in with the potatoes - they can be eaten direct from their skins or pressed with your fork to extract the puree. And don't be scared of adding too much garlic - contrary to popular opinion it's not exceptionally garlicky, but instead the more you add the more the cloves develop a 'sweetness' that goes well with the herbs and salt on the potatoes. Think caramelized onions...

Hope you enjoy!

[Zom]

the cloves develop a 'sweetness' that goes well with the herbs and salt on the potatoes

Agreed. I love roast garlic. The french have a variation on this recipe that uses sweet peppers, onions, parsnips, that sort of thing. And a lot of garlic cloves.