Mom’s Recipe Box, Potatoes, and Her Cast Iron Skillet

More Mom’s Kitchen Musings

For a very long time it lived in the dark, tucked away in the back of the cupboard that holds all of the seldom used cookware. Once in a while it would get unearthed for baking a pineapple upside down cake. But lately it has held forth front and center in the kitchen. The ten-inch cast iron skillet. Seasoned to a shiny black by my grandmother it is the kitchen workhorse of the hour. Need to dry out a few slices of bread for breadcrumbs? Place them in the skillet in a 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Feeling guilty about wasting the last quarter loaf of that a day old baguette? Cut it into 2-inch squares, place in the skillet in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes, tossing every five minutes. But what has really kept the skillet front and center this week is the recipe below.

This is a deeply satisfying and easy meal to make after a long day at work. It also fits into the category that we can all relate to—the budget meal. Maybe you need to eat home all this week. Your next paycheck doesn’t arrive until next Friday and you can’t quite justify or afford a cheap $20 meal out every night this week. The solution is a pantry stocked with Russet potatoes, good olive oil, kosher salt, Spanish smoked paprika, and eggs.

Spanish Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 Russet potatoes, washed, dried and cut into 1-inch chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add about 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, 1 teaspoon Spanish Smoked Paprika (sweet), 1/2-teaspoon garlic powder.
Toss well until the mixture turns a deep mahogany red.

Place in cast iron pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Using a metal spatula carefully turn the potatoes over being sure to scrape the great crust that is forming on the bottom. Return to oven for at least 30 more minutes or until they are nice and crisp. Remove from oven. Poach 4 eggs. Place roasted potatoes on plate. Top with poached eggs. Sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley. Also good served on a bed of fresh spinach.
Yield: two servings.