Roasted Potatoes (Tusker House Version)

Am I the only one who's ever made a recipe and you just know while you're doing it that you're doing it wrong?  That was this recipe for me...  Though I'm not calling it a "recipe blooper" per say, just a case of chef error.  As in, my error.

Allow me to explain.

The recipe for these are actually pretty simple.  Slice, steam, coat, bake, serve. I mean, who can't do that?  Apparently me.  First I over-steamed the potatoes (and the recipe calls for a really long steam to begin with) because I forgot to set the kitchen timer.  That's Ok, it just means the potatoes won't be pretty, not that they're inedible.  Then, while I was making the herb coating for the potatoes, I saw it required one tablespoon of salt.  I knew when I looked at it that it seemed like a lot of salt for only 2.5 pounds of potatoes.  I said to myself, "Self, there's no way this requires 1 full tablespoon of salt. No way."  So what did I do?  I threw in most of a tablespoon of salt anyway.  Why?  I can't even really say.

Then, to top it all off, the recipe called for me to put the potatoes in a bowl and stir them in the marinade.  Again, when I saw that, I thought "wouldn't it be easier if I just put it on the sheet pan and drizzled the coating on, then mixed it?"  Yet, for some reason, I slammed it all in the smallest bowl possible and attempted to stir it...  With a small spoon.  Again, I have no clue why.  I knew when I did it that it was dumb, yet I gave it a shot anyway.

Yes, I did think better of it and I poured the mixture onto the pan to finish tossing it, but the
damage was done. I slightly mashed some of my overly salted, overly steamed potatoes.  My big silver lining was that I looked at the photos of the potatoes I got at Tusker House and I saw that the potatoes as served there when I went were also a little mushed...  So at the very least, some poor sous chef that day tried to make sense of the same recipe I tried and made the same stupid mistakes.  It's nice to feel like some hapless person at the Disney kitchens is prone to the same mistakes I am.

Despite what's clearly chef-error in these potatoes (I blame the recipe a little, but a whole tablespoon of salt? I knew better), I have to say they were still super good.  Yes, they were a bit salty, yes, they were a bit mushed...  But with less salt, less mush, more crunch, I have to say the flavor is almost exactly the same.  For those who are obsessed with finding Disney potato recipes, and there are a lot of people who are, this is a definite must-add to the recipe collection.  And it smells amazing while it's baking!  Even with the salt issue, my mouth did the "oh my goodness, these are Tusker House potatoes" dance...  And a good Disney food memory is one of the best things in the world.

I truly can't wait to take another stab at these because, despite my issues, these are fast, easy, and are one of those wonderful side dishes that dress up for nicer main dishes, but also dress down for the more hearty meals.

Just please, for the love of Mickey, don't add an entire tablespoon of salt.

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Roasted Potatoes (Tusker House Version)

As is served at Tusker House, Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

°o°  2.5 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into wedges  

°o°  3 tablespoons of herb infused olive oil (or regular olive oil)  

°o°  1-2 teaspoons of salt  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

°o°  1/2 teaspoon paprika

°o°  3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

°o°  1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped fine

Steam potatoes over water for 15-20 minutes.  While the potatoes are steaming, combine the remaining ingredients and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove potatoes from heat and spread on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with the oil mixture.  Toss potatoes until evenly coated and spread into a single layer.  Bake in oven until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes or so.  Total baking time will vary between 20-30 minutes depending on individual ovens.

Serve immediately.  Will store in an airtight container but require an oven for re-heating.

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