Originally published on August 8, 2014
It seems my entire adult life I’ve been trying to find new ways to cook potatoes. The only side dishes that dear hubby really likes are rice and potatoes, leaving me constantly trying to find new ways to stave off boredom when it comes time to prepare (and eat) them. I’ve only done this technique once and it’s already one of my favourites. And it’s no surprise that it comes from the Queen of Cooking and Crafts, Martha Stewart. It can be found in her Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, and I have to say, if you’re a foodie and haven’t yet checked out this book, you should.
When I first hefted it up onto my counter, it reminded me largely of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It’s an encyclopedia of food and cookery, filled with 1,200 different recipes along with tips, techniques, and just a vast, vast knowledge of different ingredients and cooking methods. Like Mastering though, while she includes the most basic recipes (including mashed potatoes) she also provides new and fresh recipes – recipes that will leave you asking yourself “Why didn’t I ever try doing this before?”
That’s how it was for me with these potatoes. They come out of the oven just like roasted potatoes, but they’re covered in water and, due to the high heat, come to a rolling simmer while in there. Martha calls them “Lemon Roasted Potatoes” in the book, but as I only had orange juice on hand, I used that instead, and they were absolutely delicious. And I did also change a couple of other things (why do I wince when I say that in this particular instance and hope that Martha never, ever finds out?) I used smaller potatoes than the Idahos the book calls for, and I also kept the skins on instead of peeling them. What can I say? I wanted roasted potatoes, and mine always end up with their skins intact. But it’s really the technique that is sheer genius, and I kept completely true to it.
Ingredients:
6 – 10 small potatoes, washed and quartered
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and place the potatoes in a 10 x 15″ baking dish. Add 1 cup of water and the olive oil, orange juice, oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss the potatoes until they are well coated.
2.) Place in the oven and bake, uncovered, until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and brown on the edges, about 40 minutes. Turn the potatoes halfway through for even browning; add more water if all the liquid has been absorbed.
3.) Serve and enjoy!