So when I reasoned that a nice medium-rare steak and a potato might possibly save my sanity one evening about a week before Christmas, I decided to mess with yet another way to serve potatoes that a) Mr. C. might enjoy, and b) I would love and not suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous guilt!

I had recently read that the less olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, etc. you rubbed onto paper towel dried veggies before roasting them, the crisper they would turn out. So I tried this theory when I roasted our Yukon gold potatoes that evening. OMG. They were slightly crispy on the outside, beautifully seasoned (my addition to the success), and creamy on the inside. In other words – perfect. And, they were not that caloric! A medium-sized Yukon gold potato has about 120 calories. Add a few calories for the olive oil, this preparation is still a lot healthier than mashed, French fried, or baked potatoes with all the requisite “garnishes” like butter, sour cream, bacon bits, etc.

And not only were they perfect with the steak, I knew they would be a great addition to any meat entrée. So if you too are a potato lover, but abhor the calories usually associated with said Solanum tuberosum, give this preparation a try. Of course if you are into guilt, this recipe might not help with your issues, but it’s still pretty darn delicious so you can use that in your defense!    

• 2-3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. dry rosemary*, ground fairly fine in a mortar and pestle
• ½ tsp. Mrs. Dash (one of the best no-salt seasonings around)
• ¼ tsp. granulated garlic
• 3 med. sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut in chunks, wedges, quarters, or 8ths depending on the size. (What you really want are equal sized pieces.)

Whisk together 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, Mrs. Dash, and granulated garlic in a medium-sized bowl. Before you add the potatoes, dry each piece with a paper towel. (You want as much moisture as possible off of the potato chunks. Add to the bowl and stir until every piece has a thin coating of the olive oil mixture. Add additional olive oil only if necessary. (You don’t want any oil left in the bowl to pour over the potatoes.)

Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. (If you have convection – use it!)  Reduce heat to 400 degrees, and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Serve immediately.

*I like dried rosemary for this dish because the taste of rosemary does not overpower the flavor of the potato. It’s subtle, not in your face. And for these potatoes, which are a great accompaniment to steak, hamburgers, pork chops, you name it – the yummy potato flavor is what you want.

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