Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes w/Herbed Goat Cheese

You're right, there's a theme here!  I was on a lemon kick this week, can you tell?  Really though I am simply testing out the rubs/marinades on the things I like to see what they work with- and yes, potatoes? They work.  After some testing, I came to the conclusion that the lemon pepper rub isn't quite lemony enough on it's own for me, hence why I add fresh lemon juice- which means that yes, it too is optional!  Or you can just adjust the amount to your taste.  You can also add it AFTER cooking to help enhance the flavour. Again, it's as you like.  I also like to use two types of potatoes, and I cut them up into small triangles, which I have discovered helps you feel as if you're getting a lot of potatoes when you're actually getting a relatively small amount. Plus, the flavour is better!  So, without further ado...

You will need:

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

2 medium Baby Red Potatoes

2 cloves garlic, flattened by the broadside of the knife

1 1/2-2 Tbsp Lemon Pepper Dry Marinade (or your fave)

1 1/2-2 Tbsp Olive Oil (I use Extra Virgin)

Juice of 1/2 a small lemon (to start, add more if you wish)

Zest of 1 small lemon

Sea Salt to taste

Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

2 tbsp (or more, if you wish) Montchevre herbed goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

Clean your potatoes, then cut them to your desired size.  I slice them in half, cut each half lengthwise, then dice horizontally to make little triangles that are relatively thin.  I place them directly into the pan in which I'm cooking them. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice and toss them to coat each piece evenly.  Sprinkle the LPDM, a few twists of your pepper grinder, and your sea salt (I use a grinder and do about 5 turns- you can add more at the end if you wish), and the lemon zest.  Toss again to cover evenly.  

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place on the rack in the middle.  Set your timer for 15-18 minutes.  When it goes off, pull the potatoes out and give them a good stir, then recover and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  Pull out, stir, check if they're done.  Cooking time will depend on how well your oven cooks, but I find that 30 minutes or so is the norm.  If I think they're almost done, I'll place them back in the oven and just turn the heat off, then leave them to sit while I finish whatever else I'm doing- an extra 10 minutes or so, and it helps keep them warm till you're ready to finish them!

If you'd like, when you pull them out, you can throw a little butter or butter substitute on them. Otherwise, just sprinkle with your crumbled goat cheese, then cover them back up until you're ready to serve them so that the goat cheese gets a little melty.  

These also reheat really well, just throw them in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat to brown them a bit, then take the heat down to Lo/Med-Lo until they're warm and ready to go.  You don't need to use the goat cheese if you don't like it- or any cheese for that matter!- you can sub whichever cheese you prefer. They taste great with fresh grated parmesan as well.