Friday, May 05, 2017

SPICY PARMESAN NEW POTATOES

When new potatoes are in season, I use them in every meal I can, whether as a side, or as a main course. These golden, spicy, Parmesan-coated new potatoes are so easy to make, and they are the perfect side. To be honest, I eat them as a main course, with just a tomato dipping sauce, because they are that good.
If you like them crispier, leave them in the oven for a little while longer, but watch them very carefully, because they can burn very easily. You can use extra virgin olive oil, if you wish, I prefer a lighter one for this. Also, make sure you sprinkle them liberally with salt after baking, so they remain crispy.


Ingredients
1 kilogram new potatoes
5 tablespoons light olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
50 grams freshly grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt


Preparation
Peel the potatoes (or clean them very thoroughly), and slice them into quarters if they are larger new potatoes, or in half if they are really tiny. Make sure the thickness of the pieces is similar, so they cook evenly. Place them into a large bowl, and drizzle over the light olive oil. Sprinkle on the freshly ground black pepper, garlic and onion powder, oregano, and smoked paprika, and toss the potato pieces really well. Grate the Parmesan directly over them, into the bowl, and toss them again. Arrange the slices on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper, and bake them in a well-preheated oven, at 200°C (400°F), for 25-30 minutes. Once they are out of the oven, sprinkle them with salt, and serve immediately, as they are best when served piping hot. Yields 2 generous servings as a main course, or 4 as a side.
Note: You can grate some more Parmesan over the potato slices once they are on the pan.