Pondering Potatoes

Last week marked the first of the new spring potatoes, and I certainly indulged! What a delight – when I go them home they still had a faint aroma of fresh, clean dirt – exactly what you want on a new potato! The first night, I did the usual – roasted in the oven with herbs. This is a standard recipe in our house; just scrub the taters, let dry, and place in a cake pan or cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 350*. Drizzle the spuds with olive oil, and in toss salt, pepper, and herbs. You can use almost any dried herb by itself or in a blend; I use herbs de Provence, or rosemary, or even dried thyme and sage. Place in the oven and allow to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes. Shake them once or twice to make sure they are evenly coated with oil and seasonings, and there you have perfect roasted potatoes. If you want to get fancy toss woth fresh chopped parsley just before serving. The second night, still enamored of taters, I decided to try something new. I wanted something slightly Mittel-European to accompany grilled sausages (from Backyard Bison), broccoli (from North Star Orchard) and salad (ingredients from Blueberry Hill and Lime Valley Mill Farms). Here is the recipe: