Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Delicious But Messy (All Good Things Come With A Cost)

I asked for and was given a big hunk of Italian Parmesan cheese for the holidays.  I love Parmesan but there remains a limit as to how much Parmesan one person can eat.  I found a recipe for Parmesan potatoes that I used as a guideline.  I changed the amounts and a few of the ingredients.  Wow, these potatoes are delicious!  On the other hand, my oven is a total mess!  Olive oil everywhere. If you have just cleaned your oven - don't make this recipe.  If you are nearing cleaning the oven, definitely, use this recipe and enjoy a savory feast!  Ingredients: one  1 1/2 pound bag of various colored organic fingerling potatoes (the biggest ones I cut in half), 1/4 C. olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1 TB lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 tsp. crushed red pepper.  Method:  Set the oven to 400 degrees.  Wash your potatoes.  Cut the largest ones in half.  In a bowl add the olive oil, the salt, the pepper, and the potatoes. Stir until all the potatoes are covered. Keep that bowl out you will need it again.  Set (warning - this is where the mess comes into play but it is worth the mess because the hot air completely circulates around each potato and makes them taste FANTASTIC!) the potatoes on a rack above a rimmed cookie sheet. The smallest potatoes will fall through onto the cookie sheet and that is okay.  Bake the potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes. While those potatoes are baking, add to the bowl the parsley, the grated Parmesean cheese and the crushed red pepper.  When the potatoes are baked remove them from the rack by pushing them through the rack onto the cookie sheet or using tongs. Add them to the bowl with the cheese and the parsley. Mix thoroughly. Put them taters back in the oven (on the rack or on the cookie sheet depending how soon you plan to clean your oven) and bake at 400 degrees for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven.  Top with lemon juice.  Mix. Enjoy. They're even better the next day at work.  Those browned bits of extra Parmesean cheese?  Ai yi yi!

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