It's very little effort to grab a ziplock back from the freezer on busy evenings filled with baths and fussy bubs, but if I have a bit of extra time I'll make something fresh to go with my freezer staples.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes- a fist size potato per person, or small potatoes to make up the same amount
- Garlic- half a clove per portion of potatoes
- Sunflower/vegetable/canola oil- don't use olive oil, it has a low temperature smoking point so won't get the potato skins that crispy before fill your kitchen with smoke
- Salt and pepper
Method:
The trick to cutting out a lot of the cooking time and faff of these wedge is to cook them in the microwave until tender but not completely collapsing.
This is usually about 5/6 minutes per fist sized potato (or small potatoes of the same equivalence).
Whilst the potatoes microwave, drizzle enough oil to generously coat the potatoes over a baking sheet. Sprinkle over a hefty pinch of salt, and grind black pepper over the oil.
Another time saving tip is to use a microplane grater for your garlic instead of chopping it with a knife, tap the grated garlic from the plane into the oil and mush everything to together with a fork.
When cooked, slice the microwaved potatoes into wedges. I slice fist sized potatoes into eighths, anything smaller into quarters. Toss the wedges in the seasoned garlic on the tray and spread out evenly.
The potatoes are completely cooked so there are two ways to finish these in the over, choose which suits your schedule best:
You can either blast them for 5-10 minutes in a very hot, 425F/220C oven , or you can cook them low and slow at 300F/150C for 35-45 minutes. If my kiddos are already in bed I'll go with the fast a furious option, but if I'm throwing the wedges in the oven pre-bath time then I'll use the slower method.
Serve them alongside chilli, with pulled pork, roasted chicken, or topped with grated cheese and sour cream for a hearty, warming meal.