Rosemary Potatoes

One year I bought a rosemary "tree" at Christmas time and used it as my Christmas tree. I enjoyed snipping little bits of rosemary off and adding them to different recipes. Now I have rosemary growing in my herb garden to use any time! Just before frost I harvest and dry it for winter use. While harvesting and preparing the rosemary I am always reminded of church on Christmas Eve growing up in Iowa. Rosemary is traditionally a Christmas herb.

Preheat oven to 400°

For each person prepare:

3 small red potatoes, scrubbed & cut into sixths

3 small regular potatoes, scrubbed & cut into sixths

Place potatoes in a flat casserole dish. Drizzle liberally with:

canola oil

Sprinkle with:

1 T fresh chopped rosemary leaves (strip leaves from stems first)

Mix well and place in oven for 40 - 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Every ten minutes or so turn potatoes over with a spatula. When potatoes are tender, sprinkle with a few additional fresh rosemary leaves. If you must salt (try them with no salt first!), use sea salt.

For variation:

After first 10 minutes, add:

2 carrots, scrubbed, trimmed & cut into 2" lengths

1 large onion, peeled & cut into 8 wedges

After first 20 minutes, add:

1 small zucchini, cut into 1" thick rounds

After first 30 minutes, add:

1 large green pepper, cut into 3/4" dice (for method, see page 13)

After 5 more minutes, add:

1 T additional rosemary leaves

This variation can be served as a main dish.