Garlicky Oven Wedges

I love the taste of oven-roasted potatoes. Whenever I make my favourite Salt-Roasted Chicken, I automatically throw in potatoes. Now, I am extremely particular about using the right type of potatoes for every dish. For roasts, I always use the Russet. For curries and stews, Brastagi. For salads, baby redskins. Using the wrong type of potato can ruin a dish - for eg, using Russet potatoes for stews will leave you with a pot full of mush. So the moral of the story is, ladies and gentlemen, know your spuds!



Today, I made something a lil different from my usual roasted potatoes to go with my chicken. I made Garlicky Oven Wedges. Say it with me now: "GARLICKY OVEN WEDGES!"

Ingenious, whoever came up with this recipe.

I first saw it at The Purple Foodie, who adapted it from Lottie + Doof, who adapted it from Cook's Illustrated. See, food makes the world go round! Anyway, lemme tell ya, I was completely sold because of ONE word - "Garlicky". Mmmm Mmmm!

This being my first attempt, I made the wedges ahead of roasting the chicken because I didn't quite know what to expect. I chose to go lighter on the salt because I wanted to top the wedges with freshly grated parmesan (which in itself is salty). I also omitted the garlic powder and cayenne pepper, preferring to boost the flavour of the roasting oil by adding more minced garlic.

Thankfully, everything went smoothly and the wedges came out gorgeous AND delicious. I had to shoo my kids out of the kitchen because they were helping themselves too liberally to the spuds! The aroma was incredible, really. Together with the parmesan, the wedges were finger (and plate) lickin' good. Yup, my daughter licked the plate clean - I kid you not!

Recipe
(adapted from here)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 Russet potatoes, each cut into 12 wedges
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I reduced this to 1/2 tsp fine salt)
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I reduced this to just a pinch)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I omitted this)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omitted this)

1. Preheat oven to 225 degree celsius. Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl and microwave until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer 5 tablespoons of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to a rimmed baking sheet, tilting the sheet to coat.

2. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the remaining oil mixture and toss to coat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high power until the potatoes are translucent around the edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute the potatoes halfway through cooking.

3. Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. I grated parmesan cheese over the fries before serving.