128 & 129: Provincal Potatoes

I had just planned on doing this recipe from Martha Stewart (left), but then I realized it was only going to use up like three of the potatoes I got in my share. Thought it'd be nice to try another provincial potatoes recipe, so I turned up this one (right) that was close- a few differences:

Martha's recipe had smaller pieces, more onions/garlic/olives/herbs. It also steamed the ingredients in a parchment pouch, whereas the second recipe called for roasting. There was a small amount of vinegar in the second recipe, as well as different herbs (which I didn't have, so I used rosemary and thyme, the better to compare them with).

The result? I didn't really like either.  Womp womp.

I would say Martha's recipe was more successful. I liked the smaller pieces of potato, more garlic and onions- generally more flavor. Steaming it in the pouch helped with that, the flavors infused more. The end result, though, was as expected: soft, steamed potatoes.

I had high hopes for the baked recipe. I'm a big fan of caramelization and the nice crispness roasted veggies can get when eaten straight out of the oven. I'm still trying to figure this oven out, though. As I've mentioned previously my standard cookie sheets just fit- as in they sit in the grooves for racks. I can't imagine that's good for even heating. So I used a smaller pan, which meant overcrowding and not a lot of browning, either.

Next time I'd probably use the recipe of the first with the method of the second. Smaller pieces mean a better surface area/size ratio, faster browning, and a happier Kelly.