Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges

I turned thirty-five on Thursday. Thirty-five. Halfway to seventy, if I am lucky and the blood pressure cooperates and the knees hold. Thirty-five in a pandemic, wearing a mask, unable to have a birthday party, unable to hug my parents, unable to stand at a grill with my father and cook together. But I am alive. My family is alive. My parents are alive. And on my birthday, that is enough.

Jessica's gift: a cast iron Dutch oven. Not just any Dutch oven — a Le Creuset, cherry red, the kind that costs more than a month of groceries and that she has been researching for six months and that I have wanted since I first saw one in a Williams-Sonoma catalog and immediately calculated how many pots of green chile stew I could make in it. The answer: infinite. This pot is a portal to infinite stew.

Sofia's gift: a card that said, "Happy Birthday Daddy. You are 35 which is very old but you cook good so it is okay." I am framing this. I am putting it in the Rivera hallway of fame next to the fire academy graduation photo and the Captain's promotion letter. It is the most honest review I have ever received.

Diego's gift: he sang "Happy Birthday" for the first time. The entire song, mostly in tune, with the words approximately correct: "Happy birday to you, happy birday to you, happy birday dear Daddy, happy birday to you." He sang it twice because Sofia told him to and because he liked the sound of his own voice and because Diego does everything twice, especially the things that make people smile. I recorded it on my phone. I will keep this recording until the phone dies and then I will transfer it to the next phone and the next and the next.

I FaceTimed Roberto and Elena. Roberto said, "Thirty-five. I was thirty-five when you were two." He paused. "Diego is two." The parallel landed. My father at thirty-five, with a two-year-old son, standing at a grill in Maryvale. Me at thirty-five, with a two-year-old son, standing at a grill in our backyard. The same fire, two generations, separated by thirty-five years and a pandemic and a screen. Roberto said, "Cook something tonight, mijo." I said, "I am already cooking." He said, "Good. That is the only birthday you need."

Dinner: reverse-seared ribeyes in the new Dutch oven (seared, not braised — the Dutch oven doubles as a screaming-hot searing vessel). Garlic butter basted. Served with roasted potatoes and the first tomatoes from the garden. Jessica and I ate on the patio after the kids were down, and the June night was warm and the stars were out and the grill smoke drifted and I was thirty-five and alive and fed and that was the birthday.

The ribeyes got all the glory that night — seared hard in the new Le Creuset, basted in garlic butter until they were exactly what Roberto would have made — but it was the roasted potatoes that grounded the whole plate, the thing Sofia asked for seconds of and Diego inspected with great seriousness before eating. This is the recipe: simple wedges, a hot oven, olive oil and a handful of pantry spices. The kind of side dish that doesn’t compete with anything, just shows up and does its job, which is sometimes exactly what a birthday dinner needs.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional, for serving)

Instructions

Preheat. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with cooking spray.
Cut the potatoes. Halve each potato lengthwise, then cut each half into 3 even wedges so you have 24 wedges total. Try to keep them uniform so they roast evenly.
Season. In a large bowl, toss the wedges with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, rosemary, onion powder, salt, and pepper until every surface is coated.
Arrange. Spread wedges in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down. Do not crowd them — use two pans if needed. Crowding steams instead of crisps.
Roast. Roast for 20 minutes, then flip each wedge and continue roasting 18–20 minutes more until deep golden on the cut sides and tender through the center when pierced with a fork.
Finish and serve. Season with additional salt straight from the oven, scatter with fresh parsley if using, and serve immediately alongside whatever came off the grill.

Nutrition (per serving)

Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges — The Side Dish That Shared My Birthday Table