Sugar Pie South
Posted September 24, 2005 11:40 AM
Roasted Potatoes with Onion, Bacon, and Thyme
Serves 4
This preparation is superb with potatoes, but it works nicely with other root vegetables as well.
5 slices of bacon
1 medium head of garlic
1 1/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes peeled and cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons dried thyme , crumbled
table salt
ground black pepper
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook 5 slices of bacon (1/4 pound) in a roasting pan over medium-high heat or in a 400 degree oven until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble and set aside. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in roasting pan.
2. If roasting garlic cloves in skins, simply break head into individual cloves. If you wish to roast cloves out of skins, put whole, unpeeled head in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to boil, then simmer to soften cloves and loosen skins, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh garlic head under cold water. Separate cloves and peel.
3. Put vegetables (excluding garlic) into a roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Toss vegetables with bacon fat from roasting pan, dried crumbled thyme and sprinkle with salt. Roast, stirring or shaking vegetables every 15 minutes, until tender and evenly browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Add unpeeled garlic cloves during final 20 minutes; add peeled garlic during final 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper; taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with crumbled bacon and serve hot or at room temperature.
-- Cooks Illustrated