Oven Roasted Mini Potatoes

I am going to start the week off with a simple and comforting picture recipe of the oven roasted mini potatoes I made for Sunday roast. This is very simple delicious recipe that even the kids can get in on. These oven roasted potatoes can vary in flavour depending on which herbs, spices and seasonings you choose and possibly what you are serving the potatoes with. I do not stray from the use of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Together they compliment each other and the balsamic vinegar when baked adds a slight tangy sweetness to the potatoes.  

First, wash or rinse the mini potatoes that is if they do not come already washed regardless it is still a good idea to give them a rinse. Cut each potato in half... even the wee ones. I know it sounds tedious with mini potatoes however trust me you will be surprised at how fast you can cut them in half. Place the cut potatoes into a large bowl. 

Once all the the mini potatoes have been halved drizzle with olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. Using a spoon stir to coat. Then add the herbs, spices and seasonings of your choice. Toss to coat. I added cumin, fresh rosemary, a bit of seasoning salt, crushed garlic, and cracked pepper.  

Place the well seasoned potatoes on a parchment lined baking tray and roast at 400ºF for about 45 mins to 1 hour. 

When the potatoes are nicely browned, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, remove from oven and serve.

Notes: This recipe may work with regular sized potatoes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size you cut the potatoes to.  

This was our meal for Sunday roast. Meatloaf with steamed carrots and asparagus and of course those lovely oven roasted mini potatoes that everyone could not get enough of. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. We did. - JD 

Guinness Infused Cumin and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Root Vegetables

Sunday dinner was an interesting one. I was inspired by my luv of the spice cumin and a can of Guinness. The rosemary was a last minute add. Why not have stout as the liquid base for the pork tenderloin and root veggies. I definitely saved the stock. 

I rolled the pork tenderloin in olive oil making sure all sides were lightly coated and then added the spices rolling to ensure each side was coated with cumin and rosemary. The pantry was very fragrant over the weekend do to the cumin! The Guinness was added to the bottom of the slow cooker pot, then some veggies, then the herbed pork tenderloin was set on top of the veggies and more veggies were added around it. The remaining Guinness was poured on top. The slow cooker was set to low for about 5 hours. 

The veggies were not under or over done for the most part because I decided to slice them chunky. A subtle flavour infused by the Guinness however still true their form, taste and texture. There were parsnips, carrots and multi coloured baby potatoes. With a few quarters of white onion here and there for sweetness.

When all was done this is how it got plated. Just a dash of summer savoury. I was going to make a gravy however I feel sometimes we may add sauce for the sake of making it taste better or hiding the natural flavours. I did have a bit of Fortnum's Piccadilly Piccalilli to the side of the meat, not pictured here, but the pork tenderloin was very melt in your mouth that it stood happily on it's own. - JW