Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

I have meant to share this and other recipes with you for the last several days, but we have all been sick for almost a week. Even our cat, Pixel, is sneezing while looking cutely pathetic or pathetically cute. Now we're on the mend, which is probably a good thing since it's back to work tomorrow.

Weekend before last we went to the year-round farmers market in Union Square. Since we are now in the winter months farmers are mainly selling root vegetables. There are other goods to be had - fresh meats and eggs, wines, cheeses, and assorted odds and ends. My mission was to obtain some fingerling potatoes, which I have never had before, and prepare them for our Christmas meal. It was a success - although I had a hard time figuring out which varieties to buy. I settled on three, but I'll admit that I forgot which ones they were.

I wasn't entirely sure how I would prepare the potatoes. I didn't think that I had a sufficient amount for mashed potatoes and turnips, so I decided to figure out something else.

I finally decided on roasting them. Normally when I roast potatoes I have to leave them in the oven for much longer than the recipe usually advises. It was no different this time. Many of the recipes I found said to leave them in the oven for 45 minutes or until tender, but they were in a similar firm condition to all other types of potatoes I have roasted in the past.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

• 3 lbs. fingerling potatoes, chopped into good sized pieces
• 4-5 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• salt and other desired spices to taste (suggested spices - thyme, oregano, rosemary)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together all of your ingredients, then pour them into a large baking dish. Place the dish in the oven for one hour, going back once or twice to stir. After one hour, check the potatoes to see if they are done. If they aren't done (which is usually my plight), leave them in the oven and continue checking them every 20-30 minutes until they are at the desired tenderness.

I typically roast my potatoes with other ingredients like onions and mushrooms, but this time around I felt like these potatoes could do with just garlic and a few spices. This simplified version was delicious and satisfying. The taste of these fingerlings was probably a little nuttier and more delicate than your standard store-bought potatoes.

Now that I've had fingerling potatoes I am interested in possibly going back and experimenting with other ways of making them - perhaps potato salad or a potato soup. I'm sold no matter what, and nothing is more delicious to me than eating a locally grown veggie.