Roasted Mustard Potatoes

I bought myself a new cookery book for Christmas. I know I did not really need a new cookbook, but this one just called out to me. Six California Kitchens, by Sally Schmitt.
Sally Schmitt is considered to be the unsung hero of California Cuisine. She is the original owner/opener of The French Laundry, which opened in 1978. This restaurant was a great proponent of fresh local and seasonal ingredients.
Roasted Mustard Potatoes

The book is a correlation of recipes and stories from her various experiences in cooking throughout her life, beginning in childhood and the kitchens that taught her and helped her to evolve. She is in her 80's now.
I love cookbooks that not only give us good recipes to cook, but which also tell us a story, and this book does that in spades. This is how I like to cook and this is how I like to eat. I love cooking recipes and eating food that have a history and a story behind them.

I had not had the book for very long when this recipe for Roasted Mustard Potatoes was beckoning to me. Not only did it look very simple, but it used simple ingredients and sounded delicious.
Delicious and simple are the hallmarks of the way I like to cook. I love being able to take a few simple ingredients, put them together in a very simple way and end up with something incredibly tasty!
Roasted Mustard Potatoes

The potato is my favorite vegetable and I adore roasted potatoes. Combining those two things with Dijon mustard is genius in my opinion!
Three simple ingredients, plus some seasoning is all it takes to create these fabulously tasty crispy coated potatoes. Crisp and flavor filled on the outsides . . . melt in the mouth on the insides! What more could you ask for?

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ROASTED MUSTARD POTATOES
Like I said, aside from the seasoning, three very simple ingredients.

2 pounds (910g) russet, Yukon gold, or red potatoes (I used russets)
a generous pinch of salt for boiling
1/4 cup (55g) butter, melted
2 TBS Dijon mustard
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

You are spoiled for choice when it comes to potatoes to use in this recipe. Russet, which are typically used for baking potatoes have a nice floury texture when cooked.
Yukon Golds have a lovely yellow flesh and hold their shape well, as do red potatoes. If you are using baby potatoes, you can keep the peels on and just cut them in half.
Roasted Mustard Potatoes

You don't have to use Dijon mustard if you don't want to. Plain old French's American mustard will work just fine, but it will give your potatoes a brighter yellow color and I find the flavor of it to be quite a bit more acidic and harsher than Dijon.
Dijon gives you a lovely mellow color and a bit of heat without any of the harshness of vinegar. At least that is my opinion!
I did sprinkle them with some parsley flakes to serve, which is totally unnecessary, but makes for better photography!

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED MUSTARD POTATOES
You won't believe how simple these are to make. You can leave the peels on if you wish, but I think the potatoes get crisper if you remove them.

Peel your potatoes and cut them into largish chunks (1 1/2 inch). Place them into water to cover which has been seasoned generously with salt.Place over medium heat, cover and then cook for 15 minutes, just until tender. Drain well and give them a bit of a shake.While they are cooking, preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Have ready a large shallow baking dish.Whisk the melted butter and mustard together and toss in with the drained potatoes. Season with some salt and black pepper. Spread out in the baking dish.Roast in the preheated oven for 15 to 30 minutes until crispy edged and golden brown in places. They should be tender right through. Serve hot.

These were really delicious. Not so mustardy that it slaps you in the face but the flavor is there, leaving just a touch of spicy heat, but not obnoxiously so.
These really go fabulous with fish and seafood! I enjoyed with some simple pan fried haddock and broccoli. Oh my but this was a super delicious dinner! I cooked enough fish so that I can make a nice hash with the leftover fish and potatoes for my dinner tomorrow. I am really looking forward to that!

Some other potato recipes that you may also enjoy from my kitchen are:

CHICKEN & PANCETTA STUFFED JACKET POTATOES - I like to use up all of my leftovers. I just hate waste and in today's economic climate, it just makes sense to use up all that we have. Good use of leftovers makes good food budget economy, and I am all for that! This recipe is a great use of leftovers with cooked chicken, diced pancetta, some spinach and a delicious creamy cheesy sauce, spooned over a baked jacket potato. A tasty bit of this and a tasty bit of that!

POTATOES O'BRIEN - This is a pretty basic version of fried potatoes, using only salt and pepper as seasoning. You could also add garlic powder and or paprika. I added some paprika. I like the color it adds to potatoes when you are frying them. Basically it is like a potato hash, except it doesn't use already cooked potatoes. You peel and dice raw potatoes and add them to some hot fat, along with chopped onion and the seasoning. Its delicious!

Yield: 6 servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner