In Which I Make Grand Plans for Christmas Dinner (Plus a Recipe for Oven Crispy Potatoes!)

Hey there. What's going on? I'm just sitting here in my kitchen, drinking some coffee and listening to Ina Garten's show in the background. I should probably be out buying Christmas presents, or writing out Christmas cards or helping my husband shovel the driveway but I'm not. My bathrobe is too comfy and it's too warm inside to venture out into the cold, even though outside looks like a glittery white winter wonderland after last night's snowstorm. After I drink my next cup of coffee then I will start writing out my shopping list for the big Christmas Day dinner that we'll be hosting for our family. My goal is to serve a formal sit-down meal of least five courses for twelve people for under $100 - two appetizers, a salad, an entree with three sides and a spectacular dessert. $100 seems like a reasonable amount for a dozen people, doesn't it? I mentioned the $100 goal to a few people and their reactions were really interesting. A couple of people thought $100 wasn't nearly enough and one person thought $100 was overly generous. I seem to be the only person who thinks $100 is just right. So I'll guess we'll need to wait and see how it all works out on Friday. After Christmas, I'll post the shopping list along with all the recipes I used. And, of course, pictures!

Anyhoo, let's talk about potatoes now. In my opinion, potato chips are the highest and best use of the humble potato. Do you dare to disagree? I didn't think so. Well, maybe you can rightfully claim a tie with french fries. I will allow that. I came up with this recipe for Oven Crispy Potatoes because I wanted to blend the thin, crispyness of a potato chip with that slightly creamy inside of a perfectly executed french fry. Obviously, I didn't *actually* invent this recipe all by myself. It's a simple way of roasting sliced potatoes that has been done a bazillion times before by a bazillion different people but this is how I do it. This recipe is really more of a technique than anything else. Once you've mastered the roasting part, which is super easy, you can season the potato slices any which way you'd like. My personal favorite is dill, with thyme a close second.

OVEN CRISPY POTATOES
printer friendly recipe

3 large russet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons very good quality olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried green herbs of your choice: dill, thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary, or any combination of those
1/4 teaspoon finely ground white or black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Peel the potatoes. Slice 1/4" thick using a mandoline. If you don't have a mandoline then use a very sharp knife and a steady hand. You should have long oval slices.

Toss the potato slices in a large bowl with the olive oil, dried herbs and the pepper.

Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if you can't fit all of them on one sheet.

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until deeply golden brown on the edges but still a little soft in the middle. If you're using two baking sheets then switch their positions in the oven halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.

Remove from oven. Use a spatula to transfer the slices to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the salt and serve right away while piping hot.

Serves 4.