I adjust slowly to change. Daylight savings time sends me into a tizzy, accompanied by weeks of complaining. I’ll turn down almost any social invitation before rescheduling our weekly “date night,” and dreary winter weather is not enough to break me of my Monday trips to the greenmarket. In all honestly, it’s been more like the beige market these past few months, with very few vendors, and those mostly selling a vast array of potatoes and mushrooms, some organic brown eggs and a few bakers in attendance offering particularly hardy and dense breads. I’m no true locavore and very grateful to live in a time and place where it’s possible to get fruits and green leafy vegetables all winter long, and citrus, sugar and coffee ever; no scurvy or sleepy mornings for me. But still, I have a fierce hunger for fresh, local produce.
For an omnivorous foodie, I have a few dislikes that are peculiar mostly because they tend to be “easy” foods that everyone else likes. Cheesecake and pancakes follow right behind Marmite, which tops my list and truthfully, is really only loved by Brits. Potatoes come right behind, complicating my pre-spring choices.
Where I’m from, Long Island, potatoes are the defining local food. Much of the area had been farmland, and many still exist; for nearly a decade, I spent summers and weekends on the eastern edges of Long Island, on a road that still had two potato farms. The sight of rows of mounds sprouting new green leaves still fills me with joy. Not liking potatoes in that part of the world is a bit like disparaging mom’s apple pie. I’m sorry about it, but I just don’t love starchy foods.
Potatoes come in a vast array of colors, sizes and starchiness, but they are all nutritious, cheap and easy to grow, which accounts for their worldwide popularity. A Long Island potato is nothing like a russet (or Idaho) potato, the latter being ideal for baking, with a thick skin and a starchy, mealy interior. By contrast, the potatoes of my homeland are small, round, thin skinned and delicious boiled and sautéed with some butter and dill. They are not “keepers,” but best soon after they’ve been dug up.
For months, I resisted the winter potatoes, but two weeks ago, I finally succumbed when I spotted fresh fingerlings. There’s nothing better for roasting than the small, waxy tubers, and most varieties develop a sweet, even nutty flavor during a long cooking time. I bought a pound, along with leeks the size of cricket bats and a loaf of bread as dense as a neutron star. After a quick stop at a conventional grocery store, I also had a head of garlic and some organic baby spinach. Then I went home to cook.
Keep in mind that this is more a set of instructions than a recipe; the potential variants are limited only by your own preferences and imagination. These are so good that you’ll want to make them again and again; they made a convert of me; the leeks caramelize, the garlic mellows and the potatoes sweeten . Don’t wait too long to try these, since ramps, those fleeting harbingers of spring, will be available in a couple of weeks and you’ll forget all about potatoes, if briefly; these were good enough to leave me wanting more.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Serves 4-5 as a side dish, 2 as a main dish.
Easy, but ~45 minutes in the oven, another 15 minutes prep time.
The Ingredients
~ 1 lb, maybe a bit more, of fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
2-3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, chopped and thoroughly washed
1 head of garlic, minced, or less if you don’t like garlic
Salt and pepper or the herbs of your choice or herbes de Provence, which is what I used, and is readily available in many spice sections.
Olive oil, 3 Tablespoons or more, as needed
The Method:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. The temperature can be adjusted if you have something else in the oven.
- Heat 2-3 Table olive oil in a cast iron skillet (preferred) or in an oven- proof casserole.
- Briefly sauté leeks until just limp.
- Add potatoes, garlic and toss.
- Toss in whatever seasoning mixture you want to use.
- Place the skillet or casserole in the oven.
- Roast for 45 minutes, tossing the mixture every 10-15 minutes and adding a little more oil if needed.
- The potatoes are done when they’re fork-tender.
Remove from the oven and serve. We ate these with bread and sautéed baby spinach.
Yum!
