When was the last time you tried a recipe that truly knocked your socks off? A recipe so frigging delicious that you lost self control while fixing it. One moment you're prepping for dinner (maybe chopping veggies for a salad or mixing drinks), and the next you're dipping your spoon into the pot for yet another taste (eighth time's the charm). Whoops. Might be time for another batch.
This happened to me last Monday afternoon with a recipe from my friend Ariana's new cookbook, And Here We Are At The Table. She actually published an early digital version of the cookbook last summer, and I had the luck of snagging a copy. I couldn't wait to fix myself a beverage and pour over the recipes. Everything she writes fills you with whimsy, nostalgia, and romance for life.
But a strange thing happened. Once I started reading her cookbook, I couldn't stop! I literally read it cover to cover in one sitting. I'd never done that with a cookbook before.
Why is this cookbook so special?
Woven in between the simple, grain-free recipes are beautiful photographs, stories, and anecdotes from Ariana's life. As an expat living in England, she has a penchant for storytelling and a deep appreciation for the small pleasures in life (like family, food, and traveling). Her writing and drool-worthy (totally uncomplicated) recipes sucked me in and couldn't put it down.
Fast forward to now. Ariana released a print copy of And Here We Are At The Table last week along with an updated digital version. She invited me to share one of the recipes from her book with my readers and give away a free digital copy of cookbook (scroll to the bottom to enter). I jumped at the opportunity.
After a bit of deliberating, which mostly involved me staring at the espresso chocolate cake and tahini cookies recipes and drooling, I settled on the turmeric roasted potatoes. I had all of the ingredients on hand, and my boyfriend loves potatoes. Sounded like a win, win at the time.
The Best Potato Side Dish I've Ever Eaten
These turmeric roasted potatoes blew me away. I'm not exaggerating in the least bit. I wish you could have seen my face when I took my first taste. Gleeful, joyous, delightfully surprised. These are all words I'd use to describe how I felt after my first bite.
Want to know why I was so surprised? I made these potatoes fully expecting them to taste "healthy" from the turmeric powder and lemon juice. Nope.
As it turns out, the potatoes tasted just like Kraft macaroni and cheese. No joke. They were buttery and "cheesy", just like that blue box every kid grew up on in the 80s and 90s. Except there was no cheese in this recipe.
What kind of voodoo magic is that? No cheese and yet it tastes authentically cheesy. I don't know how to answer that. If you're a food science nerd, feel free to explain it to me. In the meantime, I'll just give Ariana all the credit for creating a magical recipe.
Like Eating Fancy Steakhouse Potatoes Without the $$$$ Price Tag
Ever eaten at a fancy steak house restaurant where they serve the side dishes a la carte? You know, the ones with white tablecloths, dimmed lights, and absurd prices?
They usually have 3-5 different potato side dish options, and the best is always a scalloped potato variety called potatoes au gratin. Well, these roasted turmeric potatoes are tastier, a fraction of the price, and dead simple to make!
So Good You Can Eat The Roasted Potatoes Cold
As if I didn't have enough good things to say about these potatoes--there's more. While photographing the recipe, I kept pausing in between shots to take a bite. I couldn't stop snacking! The only solution was to eat something else (in this case a granola bar), so I could save the potatoes for dinner.
When my boyfriend came home several hours later, he saw the potatoes sitting on top of the oven and asked if he could try them. I explained that they were cold and would taste better after some time under the broiler, but he reached on over.
After a few pieces he proclaimed "these are really good", and kept on eating them. Cold. Right off the tray. Within a minute half the tray was gone, so I started digging in. Well, we polished off the whole thing in under five minutes. So much for dinner.
Needless to say, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of And Here We Are At The Table! You can either snag the new paperback copy through Amazon or a digital copy (that you can download and read on your computer, tablet, phone, etc.).
BONUS: The digital version is 30% off until February 11th when you enter the promo code ATTHETABLE at checkout.
Make sure to fix yourself a tasty drink and snack to enjoy while reading the cookbook and sit somewhere comfy, cause you'll be there awhile soaking in the recipes, stories, and photographs! In the meantime, try these turmeric roasted potatoes, which I'm sure will become a staple in our home.
Want a chance to win a copy of the digital version? Scroll down to the bottom and enter my giveaway. :)
Turmeric Roasted Potatoes
An incredibly tasty and healthy roasted potato side dish recipe that tastes like macaroni and cheese without the cheese!
Re-Published With Permission From And Here We Are At The Table
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 lbs of waxy potatoes (I used Yukon gold)
2 teaspoons sea salt (I love THIS)
1/4 cup good unsalted butter (I used THIS)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
a dash cayenne powder (optional)
Note: I only had salted butter on hand, so I reduced the sea salt to 1 teaspoon on the potatoes, and the used the other teaspoon in the cooking water.
Recommended Equipment
sturdy cooking pot with a lid
large rimmed baking sheet
Directions
Fill a large pot halfway with water, salt the water, set the heat on high, and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, wash and peel the potatoes. Depending on the size, either cut them into halves, quarters, or eighths. If you cut the pieces too small they will disintegrate (and turn into smashed potatoes) when you shake them and mix in the sauce. Make sure to keep them pretty chunky and cut them so all the pieces are about the same size so they cook evenly.
When the water is boiling, add in your potatoes, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and let the potatoes cook until they are JUST tender. If they are too tender they will turn into mash. While they're cooking, measure out the butter and chop it into small pieces so it melts quicker. Measure out your fresh lemon juice and grab your turmeric powder.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain the water completely, and keep the potatoes in the pot. Add in the butter, sea salt, turmeric powder, and lemon juice. Place the lid on the pot and let it sit for a minute so the butter melts. Peek inside and when it has melted, hold the lid and handles tight with some oven mitts and shake the pan gently from side to side or up and down.
This helps to rough up the edges, gives them more surface area to make them crispy in the oven, and disperses the sauce. If need be, gently (very gently) stir the potatoes to mix the sauce. Dump the potatoes onto the baking sheet, give it a shake to spread them out in a flat layer, and pop them in the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the tops start to brown and the potatoes are bubbly. You can also turn your broiler on at the end to make the tops brown faster.
Notes & Tips
- Use the best butter you can find. This is important! There are only a few simple ingredients in this recipe, so quality counts. There is a HUGE difference in taste between grass-fed butter (a.k.a. pastured) and regular butter (even organic). I like to use Kerrygold, but any deep yellow or orange will work.
- Make sure to stick to the ratio of lemon/turmeric/butter in this recipe, especially with the lemon juice. If you add extra lemon or turmeric, it will still taste good, but it won't taste cheesy. Adding extra butter might be okay. I haven't tried that yet.
Enter for a Chance to Win a Digital Copy of And Here We Are At The Table: Grain-Free Meals From Around the World
I'm really excited to give away a copy of And Here We Are At The Table to one of you guys! Enter for a chance to win a digital copy of this cookbook by following the directions in the rafflecopter widget below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rules: The giveaway will end January 29, 2015 at 12:00 a.m. No purchase is necessary to enter. This is only open to all The Rising Spoon readers. I will pick a winner via random.org 3-5 days after the giveaway ends and announce them here in this post. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize! Bookmark this page and check back often to see if you're the winner. Good luck!
Get Your Own Copy of And Here We Are At The Table
If you're interested in ordering a copy for yourself, a friend, or family member who likes to eat easy grain-free recipes with an international flare, here are the links to order.
Print (Paperback) Version
Digital (Downloadable) Version
Keep Reading! More Side Dish Recipes From The Rising Spoon:
- Cheesy Roasted Garlic, Onion, and Coconut Cream Smashed Potatoes
- Pan-Fried Asparagus with Grass-Fed Butter and Parmesan
- Roasted Beet Slices with Fleur de Sel
- Roasted Cabbage Slices with Lemon, Garlic and Nutritional Yeast
- Roasted Butternut Squash Seasoned Two Ways
- Oven-Roasted Green Beans with Coconut Oil
This post has been shared at Worthwhile Wednesdays, The Wednesday Round-Up, and Whimsy Wednesdays.
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