Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes

Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine asked me to teach her how to cook. I can’t think of any other time I’ve ever taught someone to cook; I don’t think I’m very good at it. When I write a blog post I just say what I did. But when I’m in the kitchen, I don’t usually follow a recipe; I just feel my way around and do what I think I should do and if it doesn’t work out—well, that’s what the garbage can is for.

The hardest part was picking what to make. We ended up settling on Mediterranean chicken, a pretty basic salad, sautéed broccoli, and this potato recipe. I’d seen vanilla used with savory roasted vegetables on blogs before and had been wanting to try it. The idea isn’t to have the potatoes become sweet like candy but rather gain a subtle flavor that’s familiar but hard to pin down.

Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes Ingredients

We learned three things that night:

1. A little sugar in any recipe is a good thing. I love to add just a tablespoon of sugar to marinades or dressings, sauces and vegetables to help bring out the natural sugars.

2. I make really good chicken for a vegetarian(or so I’m told).

3. Vanilla rosemary potatoes are shockingly delicious. There were some skeptics who thought vanilla on vegetables couldn’t be good, but by the end of the night everyone was converted.

Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

  • 5-6 medium Russet potatoes, cut and cubed
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes Baking

Methods:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together until the potatoes are covered in oil.
  3. Lay the potatoes out in a single layer on a baking tray.
  4. Bake for 60 minutes shaking the pan halfway through.
  5. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes Final Product

This is definitely more of a Fall and Winter dish than it is Summery, so you might want to bookmark it and hold onto it until October. Then again, potatoes are always plentiful and cheap so what’s not to love even in the Summer time?

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6 Responses to Vanilla Rosemary Potatoes
  1. christina
    August 15, 2012 | 9:49 am

    What an interesting dish! I love what vanilla can do to baking, so I’m sure I’d love this a lot. MMM! Great job!

  2. Liz @ Tip Top Shape
    August 15, 2012 | 10:24 am

    Great recipe! I never thought of pairing vanilla with potatoes before.

  3. Hannah
    August 15, 2012 | 3:12 pm

    SO this is awesome. I grew up with rosemary and garlic being thrown in with baking potatoes always, but vanilla? AWESOME. Go Chef Evan!

  4. Christa @ Edible Balance
    August 15, 2012 | 5:36 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious! Love rosemary and potatoes, but the vanilla takes it to a whole new level… yum!

  5. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
    August 16, 2012 | 7:37 am

    Hmmm, I bet vanilla potatoes would taste amazing!! I love the idea!!

  6. The Candid RD (Gina)
    August 17, 2012 | 6:40 am

    Sweet and savory potatoes?! What a great thing to teach someone to make! I love it. Great recipe Evan!