Recipe Source: Goldstein, Joyce. Savoring Spain & Portugal. Sunset Books, Menlo Park, 2000 p. 187
I am a potato addict. I am not ashamed of this. For the most part I have my addiction under control, but I have to confess that I find it difficult to control myself when they're on the table. There are strategies to dealing with that, of course. While potatoes are sometimes included in other dishes, I rarely serve potatoes by themselves unless I have guests to feed them to. And if you make a potato dish that is good enough, those guests will save you from overindulgence by eating the potatoes themselves.
This is that dish.
I served this at a Sunday open house recently. I did get some of the potatoes. There weren't potatoes left for seconds. This fit perfectly within my plan.
I did make a few changes to the recipe, although they are small changes. I left the potatoes unpeeled, although I'm not sure that counts as a change since the original said you could leave them unpeeled if you wanted. I almost always leave potatoes unpeeled – there's more nutritional value in the skin than in the flesh, and I like the texture better when the skin is left on. Anyway, I used a mix of new Yukon Gold potatoes and new red potatoes because that's what I had on hand and it seemed like fun. I increased the oil and the butter, which I realize is the opposite of what I would usually do. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I'm sticking by it. I also added the zest and juice of one lemon – I felt that it would add a little something to the dish, and I was very pleased with the result.
Potatoes with Cilantro and Lemon (serves 8; approx. $0.86/serving)
¾ package new Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
¾ package new red potatoes, halved
1/3 cup olive oil
1 stick butter
1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped
Zest and juice of one lemon
Kosher salt to taste
Equipment:
- Roasting pan
- Large sauté pan
- Preheat your oven to 400 ̊.
- Put the potato halves in a roasting pan. Drizzle with about half the olive oil, season with some salt and roast 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. You can do this step a day or two ahead of time if need be.
- When the time comes to cook, melt the butter with the remaining olive oil in the sauté pan.
- Add the potatoes and fry over medium-high heat until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
- Transfer to a serving platter.
- Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and lemon zest. Add the juice of one lemon, toss to coat and serve.
