Roast Potatoes Two Ways: Polenta-Crusted with Rosemary & Garlic
Author: Aimee
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds red potatoes (about 6-8 medium), peeled
  • 2 Tablespoons polenta or cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh minced rosemary leaves
  • 8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
Instructions
  1. Cut each potato in half, then in half again, and again in half until you have 8 even chunks. Place in a medium pot with 1 teaspoon salt, cover with cold water and place over high heat.
  2. Bring potatoes to a boil, then lower the heat slightly and boil for ten minutes. Meanwhile, preheat to oven to 425°F.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together polenta, salt and pepper. Drain potatoes well in a colander. Sprinkle with polenta seasoning and toss gently to coat.
  4. In a large (12-inch) cast iron pan or heavy-bottomed skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. When small bubbles begin to rise (but before oil is smoking) and oil is very hot, add rosemary and garlic. Stir carefully with tongs for a minute.
  5. Add seasoned potatoes all at once to the hot, fragrant oil and arrange them with your tongs so that they are evenly distributed around the pan. Place the skillet on the bottom shelf of the hot oven and roast for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven carefully and turn each potato so the crispy side faces up. Return to oven for another five or ten minutes.
  6. Remove potatoes from oven and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a serving platter. Sprinkle with fresh chopped rosemary, if desired, and serve at once. Cool, then strain and reserve the oil remaining in the pan for another use.
Notes
These will be the most popular item on your brunch table, guaranteed. Serve them with a side of malt vinegar to really take it to the next level. Oh, and in this recipe the garlic is boiled with the potatoes, which softens its pungency. No one likes too many aggressive flavors in the morning! Duck fat can be found in the frozen section of most butcher shops. It adds fantastic flavor to the potatoes, but olive oil can easily be substituted. Freezing Tip: Both of these potato side dishes should be served immediately, but they also reheat nicely in a blazing hot oven. Should you wish to freeze the hash browns for convenience sake, place them in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze them until solid. Transfer the hash browns to a sturdy resealable plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. Hash brown will keep, frozen, for 8 weeks.
Recipe by Simple Bites at http://www.simplebites.net/roast-potatoes-two-ways-polenta-crusted-and-rosemary-hash-browns/