The bay tree at La Varenne is a monster, more than twenty feet tall. There’s a niche or cubbyhole on one side, the side that everyone approaches to cut fresh leaves for classes. I implore my students to discard the jars of brown, tasteless dried bay leaves in their pantries: even a semi-fresh bay leaf several weeks old from the fridge will have more flavor.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　8 medium red-skinned or Yukon gold potatoes

　　16 to 20 bay leaves, preferably fresh

　　1/2 cup olive oil

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　Sea salt, for finishing

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice each potato, stopping each cut 1/4 inch from the bottom, so the potato is sliced, but still intact. Insert 1 to 2 bay leaves into each potato.

　　

Step 2

Place the potatoes in a large roasting pan. Drizzle over the oil and toss the potatoes to coat. Season the potatoes with coarse salt and pepper.

　　

Step 3

Roast the potatoes until tender when pierced with the point of a knife, about 1 hour. Season with sea salt and additional freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.