New Year's Eve has been synonymous with a decadent meal for the Lynch family for quite a few years now. Although we occasionally enjoy a fun night out, we always make sure to finish the year with a great meal. This year was no different. We placed on our menu Brazilian rubbed filet mignon bites, Rocking Roast Potatoes and mixed veggies in butter. It was just what the night called for as it felt elegant but was really not a lot of work.
I need to be clear - these potatoes are not a lot of work, but they take quite a bit of time. They start off like a lot of potato side dishes - Yukon Gold peeled, cut and ready for baking, but there are a few steps that are unusual that set this dish apart.
The first thing is they take a quick hot soak in salted water that also includes baking soda - yup, baking soda. I'm not a scientist - but the idea here is that the high alkalinity boiling water softens the potatoes but also creates a starchy outer potato layer that crisps up crunchy and brown in the final product. I'm not sure what exactly goes down here, but the result is amazing!
I'll walk you through how this all goes down.
As I said, it begins like a lot of other potato recipes, peeling the potatoes and cutting into chunks. It then gets a quick 10 minutes or so into the boiling water mix. You don't want to completely boil them here as they'll do another 50-60 minutes in the oven. You just want to get them soft enough to get the outer surface mushy a bit.
While all of this par boiling is going down, we have a few minutes to make rosemary and garlic infused oil that will eventually become the end flavoring for the dish. It's super easy to do but is the incredible secret to the tasty flavor of these amazing potatoes.
Making the oil is as easy as heating up extra virgin olive oil and adding the chopped ingredients. Then let it brown up a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes and strain.
The result is two fold - a flavored oil that gets tossed with the parboiled potatoes and a cooked seasoning mix that will take the end dish over the top.
Once the potatoes are done, move them to a bowl and shake them up with the oil- smashing the outer surface to create a thick layer of mashed potato that will crisp and brown in the oven.
The potatoes then get roasted in the oven , with occasional tossing. This is the hardest part of this recipe as you shake and turn them gently every 15 to 20 minutes or so. When they are completely cooked through, bring them back to your bowl and mix with the reserved cooked seasonings, adding more salt and pepper, if desired.
It's not a fast recipe, but I can guarantee it is worth it - every single time. If you have the minutes, make them for your weekend meal. If you want to impress your guests - they work for that too! You won't be sorry making these Rocking Roast Potatoes!
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