Roasted Purple Potatoes with Rosemary

The kitchen smelled like roasting potatoes and rosemary the other night for obvious reasons. That was the side dish on the menu. Outside a three day heat wave continued to rage, throwing a thunderstorm with flashes of lightning against the darkening sky. The rumble of thunder could be felt by bare feet against the wood floor of the farm house kitchen where I was making dinner. The air was so thick I could have cut it with a knife much as I did with the purple potatoes. The pressure had shifted in the air due to the storm... Here at Wildflower, we are somewhat removed from the world, up an old dirt and gravel road a distance from town roads. Surrounded by bits of woodland and thick wooded barriers... Being here, during a storm, you feel rather isolated and alone in the universe. Especially when it is white out snowy conditions or the New England fog obscures what is visible from the house... In this case the growing darkness offered the isolation to the farm as it stood it's ground against one of the most serious thunder storms I have ever seen.

This is a truly simple dish. It's story begins here at Wildflower. I purchased some inexpensive potato seeds. A variety pack a while back for some bags I wanted to plant in The Night Club. These potatoes, were born here on the property. They grew tall and strong and green, right here. They wilted and it was finally time to harvest the roots the original potato seed had put out.

Potatoes, are root vegetables, which means it is the root we harvest and use, (and can I please get a loud resounding DUH?) The roots potato plants produce contain many new potatoes. So, I had Dr. Farmer Moomin, collect them along with some lovely green beans, carrots, and some rosemary. The carrots and beans for other dishes.

Due to the variety pack of potato seeds we wound up with a few kinds of potatoes in each bag, including many purple potatoes which I was thrilled about. Purple potatoes, have some very nice health benefits. They are high in antioxidants which can be useful in protecting us from chronic illness and free radicals. Compared to white potatoes they have a lower glycemic index, which makes them a great option if you are seeking to control blood sugar. They are reasonably high in fiber, contain many fabulous nutrients.... But back to antioxidants. Perhaps the most important one they contain is a polyphenol called anthocyanin. The health benefits from this antioxidant include healthier cholesterol levels, improved vision and eye health.... It also reduces risk of some cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. These purple potatoes, like blue berries pack quite a punch for good health. As someone trained in the use of plants as medicine... I could go on for an eternity about these beautiful purple potatoes. But I don't want to over load anyone with information that they might have trouble following. So, I will stop here and feel good sharing the most important bit. I am always happy to discuss this subject further in the comments with anyone interested.

I began this side dish by washing my potatoes. After that, I boiled them for a few minutes. Then, it was time to slice them for roasting. Once sliced, I added some olive oil and made sure they were lightly coated. Then I salted them. Then came the fun part. On one of my beautiful cutting boards, made from local trees blown down in storms very similar to the one dropping torrential buckets of water over the house, they are very rustic in shape and style. I first rinsed, then lay my rosemary on my precious cutting boards. And oh yes they are precious. They have traveled across the planet with me and have been in my life for well over a decade. After rinsing and laying down my rosemary, I took a knife and chopped it up. Then I sprinkled it as well as some salt over my beautiful olive oiled potatoes that I had already spread in a pan. After that, I just shoved them in the oven to roast for a half hour.

When they were ready to serve, I removed them from the oven and everyone came to get some. The flavor is a bit different, a bit more earthy than white potatoes. I also found that they filled me up eating a lot fewer. I loved the flavor, especially with the rosemary.

We had a guest for dinner, my mom was here from her place by the ocean.
Everyone loved the potatoes.
My hope is you will too.
There is a goodness to simple food.
Thank you for reading.
Amanda of Wildflower Farm