Ah...potatoes! Creation's comfort food. Whether mashed or baked, whether as French Fries or home fries, potatoes have universal appeal.  My personal favorite potato dish is oven roasted potatoes.  That rich and satisfying aroma that saturates the atmosphere of your cozy kitchen while they cook is only surpassed by the mouth-watering flavor and tasty texture that makes this recipe a classic.  However, we all know, that not every recipe is created equal.  Oven roasted potatoes can be over-cooked and end up mushy or under-cooked and be too firm.  They can be too modestly seasoned and be bland, or too generously seasoned for even the most pucker-proof palate to approve.  Been there...done that!  The recipe I will now share is my time-tested attempt at perfection, a family favorite, and one I hope you will enjoy as well.  Bon Appetit!

Here are the ingredients I use to make my oven roasted potatoes. The mix of spices is my personal preference and seems to work well, but some might want more or less depending on your tastes:

• 7-8 Small Red potatoes. Not peeled. Cut into bite-sized chunks. Basically you want enough potatoes to completely cover the bottom of your baking dish.
• 1/2 teaspoonful salt (I use Kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoonful garlic salt
• 1 teaspoonful basil
• 1 teaspoonful oregano
• 1 teaspoonful parsley
• 1/2 teaspoonful red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoonful Weber Grill mix (got this at WalMart...great flavor)
• 1 teaspooonful thyme
• 1/2 teaspoonful ground red pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoonful ground black pepper
• 1 cup coursely chopped onion
• 4-5 whole garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup oil (extra virgin olive oil is what I use)

Follow these steps for the most perfect and delicious oven roasted potatoes:

1)  First, place your chopped potatoes in a pot of water and bring the water to a boil.  Once the water begins to boil, IMMEDIATELY removed from the heat and drain the water.  I have found this step provides a consistently "soft but not mushy" texture to these oven roasted potatoes.  The goal, in my opionion, is a potatoe that has just the slightest crunch on the surface with an almost pillowy softness underneath. 

2) Place the potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle the oil over them, stirring to coat completely.  We want the pieces to all have a nice coating...but we don't want a pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl.  Adjust the oil as needed for this, but 1/4 cup is about right.

3) Next, sprinkle the ingredients over the potatoes while stirring to try to evenly distribute the spices.  I suppose you could mix all the spices together first, then sprinkle the potatoes with this mixture, but I tend to just sprinkle them one at a time.  Remember the goal is to evenly distribute the spices.  They will stick nicely to the oil-coated potatoes.

4) Transfer the potatoes to a baking dish and cook for 20 minutes in a pre-heated 475 degree oven.  Stir every 5 minutes or so while baking.

5) Switch the oven to broil.  Leave the potatoes in for another 5-10 minutes, stiring them every 3 minutes or so to brown the surfaces nicely.  Watch closely so they don't get too dark.

 Once finished in the oven, you can transfer them to a serving dish and enjoy!  They are best when served hot and fresh from the oven, but I find they also reheat nicely in the microwave also.

So that is my super not-so-secret recipe for oven roasted potatoes.  Hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do!