A Potato’s Best Friend: Fresh Herbs

>Decorate roasted potatoes Instead of using chunks of potatoes, cut baby potatoes in half, coat them with
olive oil and salt, and arrange them, cut-side down, on a parchment-paper-lined sheet pan. Put each half on a sage leaf or a small sprig of rosemary. It will stick to the potato as it cooks and look very pretty when served.

>make potato fans Choose medium-sized oblong-shaped red potatoes. Slice them across at ½-inch intervals, cutting three-quarters of the way through. Tuck an herb leaf or small sprig in each cut, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast until tender. The potatoes will open up slightly like a fan or accordion.

>Cook a crispy potato hash Dice red or yellow potatoes quite small and sauté slowly in a mix of butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet until very crispy and cooked through. Add minced garlic at the very end and toss and cook until just fragrant. Add finely chopped fresh rosemary or thyme and a dash of vinegar and serve.

>Boil, crush, and roast For a crispy treat, boil whole baby potatoes gently until tender, crush them lightly into thick patties with the palm of your hand, and then roast them (with olive oil and salt) until crisp. You can boil the potatoes ahead, hold them in the fridge, and cook them just before serving. The double-cooking makes these “patties” really tender on the inside and nice and crisp on the outside.