So I'm basically in love with this new (to me) way to make potatoes. These delicious potatoes are just the comfort you need after a long day in the cold. They are the kind of food that is not only nourishing but completes you.
These were first served to me on New Year's Eve, where my good friend was gung-ho to make a dinner out of vegetables (there may have been a pot of lamb stew as well). Yes, that's right - even my social crew seems to be all about the veggies more than ever, and these were the star of the show. I've been meaning to make these at home since then, and since my hubby is all about the light food these days, dinners around our household so far this year have been a lot of fun.
Jamie Oliver's Chuffed & Roasted Potatoes
3-4 good large potatoes (I picked up some German Butter potatoes from the winter farmer's market - amazing!)3-5 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt to taste
(2) tbsp red wine vinegar
optional: chopped fresh rosemary, garlic cloves
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash & peel your potatoes. Rinse them under cold water to remove any starch and put in a pot & cover with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, and turn down the heat just enough to keep a gentle roiling boil going. Depending on the size of the potatoes, cook for 6-9 minutes, until the outer flesh is soft enough to be pierced with a fork.
Drain the potatoes in a colander, and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes. Once the potatoes have settled a little, shake up the colander (ideally in the sink) to 'chuff' up the outsides and rough those babies up. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, use a knife to coarsely chop them into 3-4 inch pieces. This can easily be done while they are still in the colander (I like to do this as it rough up the outsides when I grab each cooked piece).
Transfer the chuffed & chopped potato pieces to a flat baking sheet and pour a generous few tablespoons of olive oil on them. Add about (2) tsp of salt and black pepper to taste to the tray and mix everything together directly on the pan. Add to the heated oven and cook for 30 minutes or so, tossing them once at the halfway point. Your potatoes will be about 3/4 of the way cooked at this point.
After 30 minutes, remove the potatoes from oven. Take a potato masher or a large fork, and gently 'squash' the potato pieces to sort of flatten them and increase their cooking surface area (not too much that they fall apart though). They should be soft enough to do this without totally breaking apart. Flip any pieces to the flattened side for even cooking, add more olive oil (up to 2-3 tbsp more) & drizzle 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar (or chopped rosemary & whole garlic cloves as Jamie does). Mix right in the pan and return to the oven to cook a further 40 minutes. Check them here and there to make sure all sides are evenly cooked.
Remove from the hot oven and serve immediately with any number of things. We enjoyed these on New Year's with this brussels sprout salad, and both were a huge hit! I also mixed these up (what meager leftovers there were) the next day and added them to a kale salad with pomegranate seeds & avocado. You may have seen that one on Instagram - and yes, it was every bit as good as it looked!
