LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Crispy, cheesy potato goodness goes well with morning or evening fare


Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes Photo Susie Iventosch

These potatoes are so easy and so delicious and they're great for breakfast or dinner. I was introduced to them at the Heartstone Inn in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The innkeepers, Cheri and Rick Rojek, put on an amazing breakfast every day and one morning these potatoes were on the menu. We loved them so much and were pleased to learn that they were in their cookbook, "Bigger, Better Breakfast and Brunch Cookbook." Naturally, I bought the cookbook and have made several recipes already, including these potatoes. They have quickly become a family favorite!

The nice thing about this dish is that you can prepare it several hours ahead of time and bake it at the last minute. It takes about 30 minutes at 400 F to get the potatoes crispy and cooked through. I like to use the baby Yukon gold potatoes, but have also made then with the combination of red and gold potatoes, and both turned out really well. The nice cheesy, crispy bottoms of the potatoes are so good and it's best to invert them when you take them out of the baking dish, so the crispy part is on top.

You can take a peek at the book on Amazon or buy it directly from the inn, if you are interested. The link is below in the info box. There are more than 200 recipes in this tiny little spiral-bound book and they all look so yummy!

Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

(Serves 4-5)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs. baby potatoes, cleaned and halved

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (don't use pre-grated)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F. Baste the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with the olive oil using a basting brush to coat the entire bottom of the dish. The glass dish allows you to see if the bottoms of the potatoes are golden-brown.

Mix grated cheese with salt, pepper and spices. Evenly distribute the cheese mixture on top of the olive oil in the baking dish.

Place potatoes, cut side down, on top of the cheese mixture. Spray the tops of the potatoes with olive oil spray or cooking spray and season with salt, pepper and lemon pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when a knife is inserted into the center, and the crust is deep golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven.

To serve, flip potatoes upside down, so the tops of the potatoes are facing up. Serve 6 or 8 potato halves per person. Serve plain or with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.