I grew up with lots of potatoes back in Romania where food was scarce during the communism. Potatoes were a staple for the long months of winter and never enough. We learned how to cook them in million ways and never got tired of them. I also grew up having a lot of respect for them as they kept us alive for many years.
I remember my parents buying around 150 kg(330 pounds of potatoes) in October, every year. The potatoes were supposed to last until the end of March. We could not find them during the winter, so my parents had to buy them while they were still available. Everybody was doing the same thing.
We were living in an apartment in Bucharest and the balcony was always a storage place for winter. The sacks of potatoes were kept in wood boxes covered with old blankets so they don’t freeze. Besides the potatoes, we always stored carrots in boxes full of sand.
My mom used to can lots of vegetables and fruits bought from the farmers market over the summer. We had sauerkraut in a barrel and apples wrapped in newspapers. In the ’80’s it was the worst. We were not able to find any food in the stores, but during the summer the farmer markets were abundant and saved us every year from starving in the winter. Everything was canned and stored for the cold months and nothing was wasted or thrown away.
Now, that I live in United States and food is easy to find, I try to eat less potatoes and more of other vegetables, but once in a while I still cook them, as potatoes were always considered comfort food and an important item on the table in my culture.
There is nothing easier than this recipe of roasted potatoes and you can make them any time of the year for any meal. You can cook them for breakfast and call them breakfast potatoes, or for lunch /dinner and call them roasted potatoes. No matter when you eat them, they are delicious, comforting and easy to put on the table.
How to make them:
Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush and clean your potatoes. If you use organic ones do not peel them, but if you use conventional ones, please remove the skin. Too many pesticides…
Cut them in small bite size if they are bigger, if you use the small, new ones, let them the size they are. Spread the potatoes in a baking tray in one layer and toss them with oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder.
Bake them at 400F for 45mins to an hour until they roast and get crispy.
Serve them warm for breakfast with eggs and bacon, for lunch or dinner with your favorite meat and a salad. This is a great option instead of the regular mashed potatoes during the holidays.
Enjoy ! They are delicious and so easy to make, so easy that you do not have any excuse not to!
- 2 pounds organic red or white potatoes I used small ones but any size is fine
- 1 teaspoon salt or to your taste
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ garlic powder
- 1.2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil to coat them
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Brush and clean your potatoes. If you use organic ones, you do not need to peel them.
- Cut them in small bite size if they are bigger, if you use the small, new ones, let them the size they are.
- Spread the potatoes in a baking tray in one layer and toss them with oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder.
- Bake them at 400F for 45mins to an hour until they roast and get crispy.
- Suggestion: Serve them warm for breakfast with eggs and bacon, for lunch or dinner with your favorite meat and a salad.
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