Herb Roasted Potatoes

Herb Roasted Potatoes

We had a vegetarian supper tonight. That doesn't happen very often, I'll be honest. But, the portobellos were calling my name at the mega-mart, so we had portobello "burgers' and herb roasted potatoes.

Herbs are weeds, you know. I don't care how black your gardening thumb is, you can grow herbs. And if you don't want to grow herbs, well... what's the matter with you!? I'm kidding, but seriously... try growing them. They can be EXPENSIVE in the grocery store, and you almost always have to buy more than you need, but they taste ah-may-zing right out of your garden. And they grow like weeds! They'll produce all summer. In fact, the more you harvest, the more those little suckers put out! I always plant a single plant of basil, dill, oregano, thyme, chive, and rosemary. That's enough. Plenty, in fact. Weeds, I tell you!

Try it. I promise. It's worth it. I use them fresh all summer, and when each plant starts to produce so much that I can't use the herbs fast enough, I start cutting them back and drying them on my porch roof on a towel (so the critters can't get them). You should see me crawling out my daughter's bedroom window to spread everything out "just so!" And let me tell you, when you rub some dried, garden-grown oregano between the palms of your hands into a pot of chili long-about December? Oh. my. gosh. Heaven in a bowl.

Herb Roasted Potatoes
Original Recipe: Herby Potatoes with Sour Cream

~1 1/2 pounds of cubed potatoes with skins
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp butter flavor
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Sauce
1/4-1/2 c light sour cream
1/4-1/2 c non-fat plain yogurt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and chives

2. Chop all the herbs and combine with oil and butter flavor in a large bowl.
I used a knife to chop the herbs tonight, but I usually use my food processor. To be truthful, I provided you the herbs and amounts the recipe calls for, but I didn't measure anything. I almost never do. Just chop some herbs--whatever you have and to your own taste. For example, the recipe doesn't call for oregano, but I love oregano and I happen to have oregano in my garden right now. So... I used some oregano. It's got a flavor similar to that of thyme, which is also in my garden, so I used half oregano and half thyme. And I think rosemary tends to overpower everything else, so I used less of it than the recipe called for. And we love cayenne's spiciness, so I upped it to about a teaspoon to replace the salt the original recipe calls for. But you do what you want. Remember: be good to your heart! Salt does not equal flavor. FLAVOR equals flavor.

3. Wash, but don't peel, your potatoes. Cut them into ~1" chunks.

4. Add potato chunks to bowl and stir well to coat. The paprika and cayenne give the potatoes that orange color. Nice. They look all roast-y before they even go into the oven!

5. Spread potatoes in large jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet-type pan, but with low edges) or 9x13" baking dish.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until tender.
How do you know the potatoes are tender? Well, I always spear a potato chunk right out of the pan while it's still in the oven and give it a quick "monkey" chew to test it. You know what a monkey chew is. You've done it. We've all done it. It's that quick, open-mouthed chew while blowing a hollow-cheeked "hoo-hoo haa-haa" to keep from burning your mouth when you're trying to eat something that is too hot to be eaten. You could do that. Or, just stick a fork in one chunk. Hardly any resistance? They're done.

7. While your potatoes are roasting, stir the sour cream, yogurt, and chives together.
I use light sour cream, not fat-free sour cream, b/c I just cannot stand fat-free sour cream. But I always cut it at least half with yogurt to reduce the total fat in the recipe. You do what you want. If you don't mind the grainy, less creamy texture of the non-fat yogurt, you'll be doing yourself a hearty (!) favor to cut out the sour cream entirely! Or you could use fat-free sour cream. Make it work for you. Just be good to your heart.

8. Serve the potatoes on the side with a burger (or a portobello mushroom like I did!) and a veg or fruit. The sour cream sauce is for the potatoes, but I used it on my portobello "burger" tonight instead of ketchup or steak sauce. Yummy yum yum. Oh, and for the record, I do not usually lay my burger on a bed of lettuce. I did that to make a pretty picture.