Her favorite  consists of delicately jerked, juicy, roast pork. Crispy, light, yorkshire puddings. Lightly steamed veg and golden, caribbean-style, roast potatoes, which she adores.

On this occasion, fearing I didn’t have enough time to prepare potatoes for her and her five friends, I  bought some ‘Aunt Bessie’s’ roast potatoes from the supermarket.

What happened next was the stuff of nightmares. My daughter  announced to the world that they were the best roast potatoes she had ever tasted.

Oh, the shame! The horror!

I felt the world spinning around me. Was this really happening? Did my daughter and her friends just cast an evil spell on me? I could see my culinary forefathers tutting and wagging their fingers at me. I decided there and then that it was the last time I’d buy manufactured roast potatoes – I would produce my own even if I were on my death bed.

RECIPE FOR MY CARIBBEAN FOOD ROAST POTATOES

INGREDIENTS

Pic by Anandamide

Approx 1kg/2lb weight of your favourite roasting potatoes – I use King Edward or Maris Piper

2 onions

Approx 2cm piece of red scotch bonnet
Approx 1/2 cup of  warmed virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves
Large sprig of thyme
1/4 teas saffron or 1/2 teas tumeric

1 teas fresh ground pimento seeds or allspice
Good quality sea salt to taste

METHOD

Incorporate the scotch bonnet, the garlic,the thyme, and the salt into the oil and put the mixture in a large bowl. Now set aside. Turn the oven on and set at approx 220/375 degs

Wash and cut potatoes into aprox 4cm or 2inch chunks. Set aside. Next fill a large pot with water, and place the two onions, half the thyme, large pinch of salt, 2 cloves of garlic, the saffron or tumeric and the allspice/pimento into to pot.

When the water is boiling, place the potatoes in the pot, and boil for approx 8-10mins. While potatoes are boiling, put a  large baking tray in the oven.

Once boiled drain off the potatoes and toss in the  olive oil mixture.

Put the potatoes into the hot baking tray and bake for 35-45mins.

Now Enjoy!!

Having gone to Twitter for counselling, here are some of my fellow twitterers’ roast potato preferences:

@Nalani1
I like New Red Potatoes, quartered, with olive oil, kosher salt, garlic cloves AND fresh rosemary. Never 4get the rosemary

@SensitivePantry http://www.thesensitivepantry.com
Roasted potatoes (in a cast iron pan) with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, rosemary, and parmigiano reggiano. Mmm.

@cookskorner http://www.cookskorner.com
try this. mix 1 tsp dry mustard, 200 mls cream. toss w taters. roast at 375 for 60-90 mins. turn often.

@goodshoeday http://www.withknifeandfork.com
king eds are the best for roasties.

@dmentia66 http://www.goreyhaus.livejournal.com
I love Yukon Golds roasted with olive oil, coarse sea salt, and lots of garlic cloves. ‘Tater’ comfort extraordinairre.

Love, Laughter, and Food for All.
Angeli x