Rosemary New Potatoes
Fresh rosemary perfumes the cooking oil in this Italian classic, imparting its robust herbal flavor to the browning potatoes. “New” connotes young, small potatoes.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
- 1 pound golf-ball-size red-skinned new potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the potatoes into ½-inch thick rounds, and boil them in lightly salted water until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Drain well, and dry very well with a towel.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy, oven-safe skillet until it shimmers, but does not smoke. Add the rosemary sprigs (they should sizzle), and then slip in the potatoes. Cook without disturbing for 5 minutes.
Once potatoes have browned lightly on the first side, turn them over, and put the pan in the oven. Cook 10 minutes.
Transfer potatoes to a serving platter, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with additional rosemary sprigs.
What Does “Lightly Salted Water” Really Mean?
Lightly salted water tastes like tears. Thoroughly salted water tastes like seawater. For foods that absorb a lot of water as they cook, like beans or pasta, lightly salted is the way to go, since your aim is to draw out the natural flavors of the food, not to make them “salty.” For foods that don't absorb water, such as green vegetables, the point is to use salt's properties of sealing in nutrients, color, and flavor. For that reason, you would salt the water more assertively. Excess salt can easily be washed from those vegetables. Make no mistake, though: Salt is an important part of coaxing the best flavors from your good ingredients.
