Tiny Potatoes.

I love tiny potatoes. It's not that I don't like regular potatoes, because I certainly do. Russets, Yukon Gold, or red boiling potatoes are all delicious and certainly have their applications. But the juvenile form of these potatoes are so sweet and so creamy (not to mention cute) I cannot help but throw them in my cart.

I use baby potatoes for everything: breakfast potatoes, roasted alongside chicken or meatloaf, as well as French and German potato salads. However, I think I like them best roasted simply, with a little oil, salt, pepper, and occasionally a bit of rosemary or Herbs de Provence. The crispy skin, creamy interior, and slightly salty bit is so simple and so delicious.

Usually I just get one of those 1.5 lb bags you find in the produce section year-round. However, every now and again the produce manager orders some really special tiny potatoes. When I find those, the really, really small ones, I promptly embarrass my Jared in the produce section cooing my adoration and cause a small scene as I exclaim how we simply must bring them home.

Recently, this scene unfolded while visiting our families for the holidays. Our hometown has a Wegman's which is just a fantastic grocery store. I could go on about its merits, but that will wait for another day. Down here, the closest Wegman's is 1.5 hours away, which is simply too far for regular shopping and I'm sorry to say that the grocery stores closer to my home simply don't measure up. For this reason, whenever we visit our hometown we almost always stop at Wegman's and stock up on important supplies (fancy cheese, artisan bread, unusual produce, treacle, etc.) We were perusing the produce section on our way out of town and that's when I saw the smallest red-skinned potatoes I'd ever seen. Obviously, we brought them home.



Yesterday, I roasted them up with just olive oil, salt, and pepper at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, tossing them halfway through cooking. Remember to season them well! You're counting on all of the seasoning on the outside to season the insides, so be a bit generous. If you like, add a nice pinch of dried herbs or a few tablespoons of fresh, you really can't go wrong. Your little potatoes may take a bit more or less time than mine; it's always a good idea to check on them as you get near the end. To do so, just pierce one of the larger potatoes with a knife: if the knife comes out easily, they're done!

All I have are before pictures as we promptly at every last one. Luckily, I've found someone almost as crazy about tiny potatoes as I am.