Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Garlic & Parsley

Steak and potatoes with fresh parsley is about as American as a side dish gets. The herb goes on while the potatoes are still spitting hot, so it sticks and steams into them.

Why the parsley matters here. Hot fat blooms the parsley on contact — it clings to the crust instead of falling to the bottom of the pan. Add it before roasting and you get bitter black flecks.

Home kitchen · 4 to 6 servings

• 1½ cups Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus leaves to finish
• 3 lb Baby Yukon or red potatoes, halved
• 8 cloves Garlic, finely minced raw
• 1/2 cup Olive oil or duck fat
• 3 oz Butter
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano, grated (optional)
• to taste Flaky salt and black pepper

Herb quantities are given in loose cups, not weight — a cup should look like too much before you chop it.

Method

1. 1 Parboil the halved potatoes in heavily salted water for 8 minutes. Drain and shake them hard in the colander until the edges go fluffy.
2. 2 Toss with hot oil on a preheated sheet pan and roast at 425°F for 35 minutes, turning once, until deep gold.
3. 3 Melt the butter with the raw minced garlic — warm, not sizzling, so the garlic stays sweet.
4. 4 Tip the potatoes into a bowl, pour over the garlic butter, and add the chopped parsley while everything is still very hot. Toss.
5. 5 Finish with flaky salt, pepper, cheese if using, and a last handful of parsley leaves.