Fresh rosemary and parsley, plus minced garlic, give these potato wedges delicious flavor. Roasted with olive oil, they become tender on the inside, and slightly crispy on the outside. With only a few minutes of prep time, you can take potatoes to the next level and create a savory, aromatic side dish people will ask for again and again.
Rosemary is such a fascinating herb to me. Not only does it have an unforgettable and deeply lovely scent–it’s also hardy, easy to grow, and can live through the winter indoors in a pot placed in a sunny spot. Once the weather turns cold, I like to keep as many herbs as I can (or as many that will survive) in pots throughout the house. They smell good and are so nice to have close-by for cooking and baking. Rosemary is commonly known as the herb of remembrance. Apparently it has natural preservatives and enhances the brain’s memory function. Also, according to many sources, rosemary historically symbolizes remembrance–remembrance of friendship, of marriage vows, and of people we have lost. Sprigs of rosemary have been used as decorations at wedding ceremonies to encourage love and fidelity, and they have been placed at the gravesides of loved ones as tokens of loving memories.
The recipe I am sharing below is based on one I found in a very fun book: “China Bayles’ Book of Days: 365 Celebrations of The Mystery, Myth, and Magic of Herbs from the World of Pecan Springs,” by Susan Wittig Albert. I made a few minor changes, but I find that this recipe calls for just the right amount of herbs and spices for my and my family’s tastes, and the potatoes turn out great! I can’t wait to make them again!
This book also has lots of information about using herbs, including recipes, remedies, gardening tips, and the folklore behind many of the herbs we use today. I thoroughly enjoy continuously learning about the history and uses of herbs–the evolving knowledge brings new layers of meaning to cooking and gardening. Since my husband and I learned that rosemary symbolizes remembering marriage (we read this a few years ago in a different book), we have kept a rosemary plant growing either in or outside of our house as a symbol of tending to our marriage. Now that I have learned that rosemary also is a symbol of remembrance of those we have lost, I will use it as a way to cherish the memory of my dear father as well. 
As we try to make sense of our world and put our feelings into some kind of expression, herbs can help. As Shakespeare’s Ophelia says to Hamlet: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray you, love, remember….”
We are now a little over halfway between the beginning of fall and the beginning of winter. The colors outside are more muted, but no less beautiful. A lot of the leaves are on the ground now, and the ones left on the trees are mostly rust or a faded gold color. The stars and the moon seem extra-bright lately, though maybe that’s because it is dark more now. This is one of the best times of the year for cooking and baking, and I look forward to sharing some more recipes with you soon. I hope you all have a great weekend! I think I will take a tray of these tasty potatoes over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday ink-up, co-hosted this week by Jhuls@The Not So Creative Cook and Kaila@GF Life 24/7.
Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 4-5 medium-sized red potatoes (or about 8 small ones), washed and cut into eighths
- 1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
- 2 teaspoon of parsley, chopped
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and cut the potatoes into eighths. Wash and chop the herbs, and mince the garlic. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, rosemary, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss the potatoes wedges in the bowl with the olive oil-herb mixture. Make sure all the pieces are coated with oil–it will make it less likely that they will stick to the baking sheet. Place them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in your 400-degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until just crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. About 20 minutes into the baking time, use a spatula to toss and flip the potatoes so they bake somewhat evenly. If they stick a little, just use the spatula to unstick them and move them around. If you don’t want to clean up a messy baking sheet, you can also coat the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Once they are done, you may add more salt and pepper, if you like. Enjoy!
, and reminds me of the potato salad my German/Swiss grandmother used to make when I was a child. My husband, not a fan of the mayonnaise and egg type of potato salad, loves it too. Since I lean toward the vegetarian end of things, I have tried making this salad without the bacon, and cooking the onions in olive oil. But it just doesn’t taste the same. So I find the highest quality of bacon I can find. It’s not imperative to crumble the bacon and add it to the salad, but it seems important (at least to me) to cook the onions in the bacon drippings. I have also tried making it without celery seed, since one time I didn’t have celery seed, and that also didn’t taste as good. So I would not leave those two ingredients out unless you really need to. As with everything involving vegetables, the better the potatoes, the better this salad will taste as well. I am excited that new potatoes will be appearing soon at the farm stands around here.
