fresh from the garden: red cranberry spuds and herbs
Funny thing – spuds planted by Sonja are ready for digging about the time that herbs are ready for picking!
I had the pleasure of putting these two delicacies together in this sliced baked potato recipe thanks to my Dad!
The recipe called for one medium sized potato per person. These red cranberry spuds were planted the last week in April, in spite of the rains at that time and they were dug just a few days ago!
I learned an interesting kitchen tip from this recipe … wanting to slice the spuds thinly, without slicing entirely through them, the tip is, as you cut, to lay a spoon alongside each potato and cut only as deeply as the width of a spoon handle will allow! When I read this instruction I thought, “W-H-A-T?!&!*?” so I hope the photo helps bring home this trusty tidbit (I can see other applications when, for example, slicing a French loaf for garlic bread!)
ah-ha! here I'm using a spoon to slice partially thru a spud
Once sliced, I splayed the slices slightly and then drizzled 1T melted butter per potato over the top and sprinkled the smallest pinch of salt before adding herbs.
Herbs? I purposely chose parsley, chives and basil as they’re commonly available. I diced them finely but not too finely and sprinkled these on the potatoes before putting them in the oven at 425F (218C) for about 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes I took the pan out of the oven and sprinkled the spuds with a tiny bit of grated cheese … about 1.5T per potato. I used a blend of a hard cheese and feta. Feta has what some consider to be a disadvantage – it doesn’t melt at 425F … on the other hand – I like the contrast of a melted and unmelted cheese topping.
I returned the potatoes to the oven for another 10 minutes or thereabouts and served them alongside fish and a kale stir-fry!
I liked the potato recipe not just because my Dad shares so few recipes and this is one worth repeating but also because it’s a different and tasty way to serve a potato … and hey – potatoes and herbs? Who could go wrong!
from pan-top to table in 60 easy minutes!
Another likeable side to this recipe is that it’s easy to vary herbs depending upon what’s in the garden! … for a more Mediterranean flair, try oregano, marjoram and basil … or cilantro and lemon thyme; fennel and mint might be nice or tarragon and chives … and let’s not forget garlic! So do try this recipe and I’d be curious to hear of explorations and variations! Thanks Dad!
Preparation time: 10 minutes (if you don’t get lost in a garden during picking!)
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Thanks Leslie – we’re going to try these – sounds great!