Six O’Clock Solution: Roast Potatoes are comfort food for Lesley Chesterman

Recipe is from Montreal food writer's cookbook Make Every Dish Delicious.

The humble potato can be turned into a delicacy, Lesley Chesterman demonstrates in her cookbook Make Every Dish Delicious (Simon & Schuster, $40).

How to make Belgian frites, often rated the world’s best fries, and how to make Paris chef Joël Robuchon’s mashed potatoes, “a mashed potato epiphany” to the Montreal food writer, are both included in her 100-plus recipes.

Today’s oven-roasted potatoes are comfort food. Chesterman recommends using the Yukon Gold variety, if possible, and don’t worry about the oil content because you’ll find you get enough leftover oil to use in your next batch. You can make these spuds gastronomic if you use duck fat instead of the usual olive oil, she advises.

The entire, well-illustrated book is peppered with little tips. Chesterman, a former Montreal Gazette restaurant critic, is also a trained pastry chef and cooking teacher. Her pet peeves, she confesses, are frozen meals, boxed macaroni, hot dogs, commercial salad dressings and bagged salads. Keep an eye on your fridge, “the heart of the kitchen,” she directs. Make sure you rotate foods so as to avoid spoilage, and don’t crowd the shelves with rare condiments or leftovers.

Roast Potatoes

Serves 4

2 pounds (900 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

¾ cup (175 mL) olive oil or duck fat

Fresh rosemary

Minced garlic

Fresh lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 C).

Cut potatoes into 2-inch (5 cm) wedges and place in a large pot with cold water to cover. Salt the water and bring to a boil for about 7 minutes, or until potatoes are almost cooked through.

Drain in a colander and let stand to dry.

Heat a 9-by-13-inch (23 by 33 cm) roasting pan over high heat and add olive oil; it should cover the base of the pan by about a 1/2 inch (1 cm).

Add sprigs of rosemary and, when they begin to sizzle, add potatoes in a single layer, being careful not to spatter the oil.

Stir gently with a wooden spoon to coat all potatoes with oil. Sprinkle with salt, place pan in preheated oven and roast for about 45 minutes, turning potatoes every 15 minutes or so, until crisp and golden on the outside and tender inside.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer potatoes into a warmed serving dish. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with garlic and lemon juice. Serve at once.

julianarmstrong1@gmail.com

1. 

   https://montrealgazette.com/life/food/recipes/six-oclock-solution-sausages-and-yorkshire-pudding-are-a-classic-combo

2. 

   Six O’Clock Solution: Lesley Chesterman's shakshuka is an invitation to brunch