Potatoes Roasted with Rosemary

Freshly dug potatoes have a flavor all their own - grocery store versions that have been sitting on the shelf are pale shadows of these babies.

The method is simple: Preheat the oven to 350F. Scrub off any earth, and slice them into wedges. Toss them in olive oil a bag or a container with a lid, and arrange them skin side down on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary, and bake for 30 minutes or until nicely browned and tender.

Kid Favorite Alert!

Served up by Tod Dimmick,

Chunky Vegetable & Kielbasa Stew

With the ingredients on hand, this stew is fast and easy.  In my test case of one family, it passed the kid test, too (probably because the chunks are large and easily identified - grin).  Bring this out on a cool, rainy day and you'll see smiles all around.

Prep time:  25 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Serves:  6-8

INGREDIENTS
8-10 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups fresh cabbage (chopped into pieces about 1/2 inch across)
2 cups carrots, 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups celery, 1/2 inch chunks, leaves kept separate
3 cups thin-skin potatoes with peels, 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups cooked kielbasa, 1/4 inch sections
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large stock pot, bring your stock to a low boil over medium heat.  Add the cabbage, carrots, celery, and potatoes.  Cook at a low boil for 15 minutes or until carrots are tender and potatoes are done.  Add the kielbasa (make sure it is 'fully cooked') and heat for another minute or two.  Serve with crusty bread, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Variations:  Try adding fennel, garlic scapes, and vary the cabbage (try bok choi, or napa cabbage, etc.)  This can easily be made without the kielbasa.  Try adding white beans.  The possibilities are endless.

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Potatoes with Fresh Garlic and Sage

Succulent. Scrub the potatoes but no need to peel them, those skins have loads of flavor, texture and nutrition.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Serves:  2-4

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 small (pool ball size) organic new potatoes cut into 1/8" slices
1 stalk spring garlic thinly sliced (or 1 clove garlic, crushed)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Pepper
Salt

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the potatoes and the garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until potatoes are tender.  Remove potatoes to a serving plate.

Turn heat to med high, and if necessary add a little more oil.  Fry sage for about 30 seconds, or until crisp.  Remove to a paper towel to drain and cool enough to handle (will only take a few seconds), then chop the sage leaves, sprinkle on top of the potatoes, and serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Grilled Potatoes

Throw these on the grill alongside your main course.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

5 medium size thin skin ("new") potatoes, scrubbed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Boil the potatoes for 7 minutes.  Drain them. Slice into pieces about 1/2" thick, and place in a large bowl.  Drizzle with the olive oil, and turn to evenly coat.  Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Preheat your grill.  Grill potatoes for 10 minutes, turning once, or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Serve hot as is, or with a touch of sour cream.  Or sprinkled with Parmesan.


Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Potatoes

"New" Potatoes
There's nothing better than the first potatoes of the season. They are so tender and buttery, even before you cook them. They are so fresh, that not even their skin is "set," meaning that you can just rub the skin right off with your fingers. You can even see that some of the skin has already rubbed off, just in the harvest process.

Our first potatoes are called Dark Red Norland. They have bright red, almost magenta skin. We will also be harvesting some white potatoes soon, and purple-fleshed potatoes as well!

Here's a simple, but so tasty, recipe using just potatoes, oil, and herbs that you can find in our herb garden! You can even add garlic scapes, if you still have some! enjoy!

Roasted New Potatoes Recipe
From simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb of new potatoes (red or yellow skinned), cleaned, cut in half or quarters
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

Method
1 Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated.
2 Spread potatoes out on a single layer of a baking pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6.

Other Potatoes:
The other kinds of potatoes, besides new potatoes, are storage varieties. Some of the varieties we grow include blue, red, yellow and white potatoes! Store potatoes in a dry, coolish, DARK place, with decent air circulation. A basket in a cabinet or on a dark shelf works pretty well. It must be dark to prevent potatoes from sprouting and photosynthesizing, resulting in a greenish color (which is not good for you to eat a lot of these). Check potatoes periodically for rot, and remove as soon as possible to keep your other potatoes happy and dry. Most of the nutrients in potatoes are found in the skin! So use a vegetable scrubber instead of peeling and enjoy your spuds.