This recipe for potatoes cooked with whole, unpeeled garlic cloves has been a favorite of Tante Marie's students ever since it was taught to us by Judith Olney. The secret is to cook the potatoes and garlic in plenty of olive oil so the garlic doesn't burn. Serve this dish with roasted chicken or a chicken sauté.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　3/4 cup olive oil

　　12 medium-size new potatoes (about 1 pound), halved if necessary to keep them uniform in size

　　24 garlic cloves, unpeeled

　　6 bay leaves

　　4 sprigs thyme

　　4 sprigs rosemary

　　Coarse salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Cover the bottom of a glass baking dish with the oil. Toss in the potatoes and garlic, making sure both are coated with the oil. Toss in the bay leaves and sprigs of herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 2

Bake this dish in a 425°F oven until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 35 minutes. Open the oven and stir the potatoes twice during the cooking time. (When serving, be sure to show the guests how to squeeze the softened garlic and mash it into the potatoes.)

　　

Step 3

Choose firm and fresh-looking new (thin-skinned) potatoes. Any long thin-skinned potatoes can be called fingerlings. The yellow-fleshed ones are Yellow Finn and Yukon Gold, and there are many varieties of white and pink potatoes. I find the purple potatoes have the least flavor.

　　The Tante Marie's Cooking School CookbookSimon & Schuster