By Groundhog Day, which the twins do not yet understand, but which I leaned into because it was a Monday and I needed something. I told them the groundhog had seen his shadow and there would be six more weeks of winter and Owen said "oh no" and Nora said "what's a shadow." I demonstrated the shadow. They became obsessed with shadows for forty-five minutes. Parenting is mostly stumbling onto unintended curricula.
Cooking this week was efficient and unromantic. Sunday: roasted a whole chicken from Aldi because they were $4.99 and that's a meal. Monday: chicken sandwiches on toast with mayo and pickles. Tuesday: chicken and dumplings, the lazy way, with a tube of biscuits torn up and dropped into the broth. Wednesday: chicken stock from the carcass for next week. Thursday: I gave up and got Portillo's, Ryan picked it up on the way home, and we ate Italian beef on the couch while the twins watched Bluey for the eight-thousandth time. Friday: pancakes for dinner because Friday is for surrender.
The master's reading this week was about due process — IDEA, Section 504, the procedural safeguards. I have lived this in my classroom for years but reading the legal scaffolding under it is something else. I underlined a paragraph about parental notification and thought about every parent meeting I've sat through where a mom or dad didn't fully understand what they were agreeing to. We do better. Sometimes we don't do better. The chapter made me angry in a productive way, which is the only useful kind of academic anger.
Ryan worked four shifts this week. We saw each other, awake and at the same time, for maybe a combined three hours. I made him a tray of breakfast burritos to keep at the firehouse — eggs, sausage, cheese, tortillas, wrap them in foil, freeze them, microwave them. He texted me Wednesday night from the firehouse: "Burrito at midnight. Marriage is real." I love him. I miss him. Both can be true.
That Sunday chicken from Aldi did a lot of work this week — sandwiches, dumplings, stock — but the night I actually roasted it, I wanted something alongside it that required almost nothing from me. These herbed new potatoes were exactly that: toss, roast, done. No standing over a pan, no babysitting, no second dish that needed attention while I was also explaining shadows to two three-year-olds and trying to remember what chapter of my reading I was on. They were good enough that Owen ate them without complaint, which in this house qualifies as a win.
Herbed New Potatoes
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs small new potatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment for easy cleanup.
- Toss. In a large bowl, combine the halved potatoes with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Toss well until every potato is coated.
- Arrange. Spread the potatoes cut-side down in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Do not crowd them — give them room to roast, not steam.
- Roast. Roast for 28–32 minutes, until the cut sides are golden and crisp and a fork slides through the center easily. No need to flip.
- Serve. Transfer to a platter, taste for salt, and garnish with fresh parsley if you have it. Serve alongside roast chicken or whatever else needs a dependable side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 240mg