this shit rocks no. 96: crispy Calabrian chili & honey potatoes!!
With lemon garlic labne, feta, and DILL ❤️🔥
The other day, I was woken up to my doorbell ringing at the ripe hour of 6 am. My initial thought was that it was the IRS coming to tell me that I filed my taxes incorrectly and that they’d be taking me off to prison.
I nervously peered through the peephole and low and behold, it was a MAN IN UNIFORM. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and wondered if handcuffs would destroy the array of Catbird bracelets I have zapped to my wrists?!?
I opened the door, and it was an officer from the county’s sheriff department. I greeted him with a warm, “good morning, offither” (my retainers were still in). As it turns out, he was looking to serve papers to the previous tenant of my apartment, a person whose name I know well because I am still receiving their mail after four months of living here.
I told the sheriff that the person he was looking for is not in my apartment, and Pepper and I exhaled a sigh of relief as we watched as the sheriff’s car pull out of our driveway. Phew! Maybe I filed my taxes correctly after all.
Afterwards, I did some light sleuthing on the situation, mainly to confirm that nobody was murdered in my home before I got here, and I discovered that this person formerly owned a local business, and let’s just say that they owe a lot of money to a lot of people. Now I know why they don’t want any of their mail. To summarize, I’m a private investigator now.
Calabrian Chili-Honey Potatoes with Lemon Garlic Labne and Feta
Serves: 4-6
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Aside from finding myself in the thick of some good, old fashioned white collar crime this week, I also made some very crispy and very tasty POTATOES.
This dish was mainly inspired by the fact that I was feeling like I haven’t cooked a decadent plate of potatoes in far too long. I used one of my favorite potato cooking techniques, which involves par-boiling the potatoes (with a little baking soda to really soften ‘em up), then shaking them around in a colander to rough ‘em up for those nice, lacy edges, and finally roasting them at a high heat until they’re golden brown and crispy.
Sure, there are quicker and more streamlined ways to cook a potato, but I’m after a crackly, crunch exterior, and a creamy, smooth-as-butter interior. You’re not going to get that from wrapping a spud in foil and blindly sending it into the oven, okay?
I tossed the par-boiled potatoes in some chopped Calabrian chilis for a bit of heat (you can always use more or less, depending on how spicy you want ‘em), then served them over a lemon-garlic labne. I was going to call it a lemony, garlicky labne, but this TikTok that I cannot stop watching is haunting me.
Finally, I finished them off with some crumbled feta, a drizzle of honey, and fresh dill. Truly, my perfect potato.
While it may seem like the right idea to toss the potatoes in honey before baking them, we’re waiting until they’re out of the oven because honey will burn quickly in this hot of an oven. Save yourself the heartache and drizzle with honey at the very end.
4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 10 medium potatoes)
Kosher salt, to taste
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup labne (or Greek yogurt)
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ lemon, zested and juiced
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, divided
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped Calabrian chilis
2 teaspoons honey
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
In a large pot or Dutch oven, cover potatoes with 2 inches of cold water. Heavily salt the water and add baking soda. Bring to a boil then reduce to a heavy simmer. Cook potatoes until fork tender (there should be no resistance), 12-15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a cutting board and chop into roughly 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a colander and vigorously shake to scuff up the potatoes until you see a nice film of grit form (it’s ok if the skin peels away and if the potatoes look fuzzy and broken down, that’s what we’re going for).
Line two sheet pans with parchment paper, preheat oven to 425F, and place a rack in the upper and lower third of the oven.
Transfer potatoes to a sheet pan and toss with olive oil and Calabrian chilis. Season with salt and divide potatoes between two sheet pans, ensuring the potatoes are spaced out in a single layer. Bake until golden brown and crispy, 30-35 minutes, rotating and switching pans and tossing potatoes around on the sheet pans halfway through.
While the potatoes are baking, make the labne. In a small bowl, mix labne, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and 2 tablespoons dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep chilled until ready to use.
Once potatoes are out of the oven, drizzle potatoes with honey and season with salt, if needed.
Spread labne on a plate or serving platter. Top with potatoes, feta, and remaining 2 tablespoons dill. Serve immediately.
okay these potatoes look perfect wow
Hi Sara. This looks so good. Do you think it would come out good on the air fryer?