Roasted potatoes with smoked Maras salt
This is the recipe we make most often with smoked salt, and the one where the difference from ordinary salt is most noticeable.
Ingredients — for 4 servings
- 1 kg firm-fleshed potatoes (new potatoes, Charlotte, or Ratte)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked Maras salt
- 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
- A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
Preparation — 10 min · Cooking — 45 min
- Cut the potatoes in half, without peeling them. The skin will hold during cooking and add crispiness.
- Boil them for 8 minutes in a large pot of salted boiling water. They should be tender on the surface, but still firm in the center.
- Drain, then shake the colander vigorously for ten seconds. The edges will crumble, forming an irregular surface. This is what will crisp up in the oven: without this step, you'll get smooth, soft potatoes.
- Transfer to a dish, add the oil, garlic, and herbs, then mix.
- Bake at 200 °C (390 °F) for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
- Season with smoked salt after removing from the oven, not before.
Why season at the end
The aromatic compounds from smoking are volatile: after 40 minutes at 200 °C (390 °F), almost nothing remains. If you salt before baking, you'll get salted potatoes, but the smoky flavor will have disappeared. Added after removal, onto a still hot and oily surface, it will adhere and be noticeable.
The same logic applies to coarse-grain salt: on meat, it seasons during cooking; on roasted vegetables, it's better to add it afterward.
Variations
This also works with sweet potatoes (reduce cooking time to 35 minutes, as they cook faster), carrots cut into chunks, or parsnips. For an extra touch, melt a knob of Maras herb butter over them just before serving.