Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Dude, I Totally Scored With Those Potatoes



As a lifelong potato aficionada, I recently had a life-changing face-palm revelation about a technique that could not be simpler and quicker, yet instantly increases potato deliciousness by, I dunno, at least 300%.

I recently attended a barbecue that featured roasted Idaho (I think) potatoes that were—eureka!—cut in half with the cut surface scored in two directions. This allowed tons of butter to penetrate, thereby preventing that tendency of halved roasted potatoes to be bland and mealy/flaky in the middle.

Of course, when it came time to attempt to replicate those results, I was taking no chances. So I got new potatoes and sliced them in half lengthwise, scored the inside surfaces crosswise (say, 3 cuts across the whole surface in each direction, using a paring or other pointy knife), and then cut each half in half. If you don’t feel like taking the time to then score the other non-peel side (I did, being a butterholic), they will still be buttery and delicious.


I melted a few tablespoons of butter in a roasting pan; added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika; and tossed the potatoes in that, skin side down. I baked them in a preheated 400° oven for about 20 minutes and then turned it down to 350° for another 40, tossing them to face each side down at 20-minute intervals. You could probably get away with not turning them if that seems too high-maintenance.

This potato side would probably go with anything ... which Alyce would probably say is true of rice too. We'll see, Alyce, weeee'llllll seeeeee.

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