Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Butter

Easter at New Hope AME. The sanctuary in its full white and gold, the choir in their spring robes, the smell of lilies, which I always find a little overwhelming in large quantities but which belongs to this day and which I receive as part of the occasion. Easter at New Hope AME is one of those services where everything conspires to say: yes. Life continues. The empty thing is not empty. Whatever you thought was finished is not finished.

I made the Easter dinner the way I have made it every year since Marcus died: with his favorites at the center, because Easter was always his highest holiday, the one he made the most fuss about, the one he would get to church early for to make sure the family had the right pew. Ham, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs with the smoked paprika, the yeast rolls that rose perfectly because I started them at six in the morning. CJ and Shanice and Caleb came. Destiny and Travis came. Fourteen people again, which seems to be my household's natural operating size.

Caleb wore an outfit that Shanice had found — cream colored, soft, with a small collar. He looks like a person. Every week he looks more like a person. At seven and a half months he is not yet a baby in the helpless sense and not yet a toddler in the runabout sense — he is something between: a being who is clearly developing ideas and preferences and is working on the mobility to execute them. He grabbed my deviled egg off my plate and held it up like he was examining it. I let him. He can't eat it yet. But he wanted it, which is correct.

The scalloped potatoes are Marcus’s recipe and I’ll keep making them, but the roasted potatoes with garlic butter are what I make when the table is full and I need something that will hold — something that comes out of the oven golden and smelling like a home that is still in use. Fourteen people, Caleb examining a deviled egg like a scholar, the choir still ringing in my ears from the morning — this is the dish I reach for when life is saying yes and I want the food to say it too.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 lbs Yukon Gold or red potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for finishing
Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it preheats — a hot pan helps the potatoes begin crisping immediately.
Parboil the potatoes. Place cut potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until just barely tender at the edges but still firm at the center. Drain thoroughly and let steam dry in the colander for 2 minutes.
Make the garlic butter. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, olive oil, minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the drained potatoes and toss well to coat every piece.
Roast the potatoes. Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Spread the potatoes in a single layer, cut sides down where possible, leaving space between pieces. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until deeply golden and crisp on the outside and tender within.
Finish and serve. Transfer potatoes to a serving platter. Spoon any garlic and butter remaining on the pan over the top. Scatter with fresh parsley and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic Butter — The Side Dish That Holds the Table Together