My wife Sharon likes to try new recipes. And here’s one I’m betting she’ll enjoy – and you will, too. It comes from a cookbook a friend recently mentioned to me: “Olive Oil: From Tree to Table,” by Peggy Knickerbocker (Chronicle Books, 2007).
It’s loaded with recipes using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). The beautifully photographed dishes include everything from pasta and meat – to fish and cake. I want to share some recipes with you, including these roasted potatoes “tattooed” with parsley and rosemary. Olive oil, writes Knickerbocker, “makes these potatoes remarkable.”
They’re a breeze to make, too. You also can check out a grilled halibut recipe from Knickerbocker’s book that I’ve posted on our chefs blog. Oh, and stay tuned. I’ll let you know how Sharon liked the potatoes.
Tattooed Potatoes with Rosemary
Serves 4 to 6
1/3 to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
6 small fresh rosemary sprigs or Italian parsley leaves
3 russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour the olive oil into a medium-sized glass baking dish and add the salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Press a rosemary sprig or parsley leaf on the cut side of each potato half and place cut side down in the oil.
Bake until the potatoes are nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, using a spatula, gently move them every now and then to keep them from sticking. When they are ready, remove them for the pan, turning them flat side up and carefully leaving the pressed herb in place. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.
Note: A glass dish works well in this case because you can check for doneness by carefully holding the dish overhead and looking to see if the potatoes and browned. When you do this, be careful not to spill the hot oil. A metal pan will do, too, but testing for doneness will not be as easy.
Bon appétit,
Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch
I tried this over the weekend and my guests were amazed how beautiful! Any herbs from the garden will work – oregano, cilantro, thyme – they all looked great. SO very easy, too. Thank you!