James Papadopoulos, chef de cuisine at Sam & Harry's Steakhouse in Schaumburg, IL, roasts nutty-sweet petite Yukon Gold potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, whole cloves of garlic and fresh thyme. Once they're tender, he tosses in some sliced caperberries (which are milder than capers) for a bright bite of acidity, akin to the pep a dash of vinegar gives to a plate of fish and chips.
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mixed marble potatoes (or any baby potato)
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. caperberries, halved
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. torn parsley
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, leaves picked off stems
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut the top third of the head of garlic off, leaving the root in tact. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and roast 1 hour or until tender.

In a medium-large saucepan, cover potatoes with cool water by 1 inch, bring to boil and turn to a light simmer. Cook until potatoes are just tender, when pierced with a fork (a bit under is alright as they will cook again). Drain potatoes and cool completely.

Turn the oven up to 400°.

Halve and quarter the potatoes, trying to make them all around the same size to help them cook evenly. Toss the potatoes with the 1/2 cup olive oil and thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a sheet pan. Roast them until they are golden brown and crisp, around 10 minutes.

Just before serving, dress the shallots, parsley, dill and caperberries with the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the sprig of thyme from the potatoes and plate. Garnish with the herb salad and serve with the head of roasted garlic.

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