Oven Roasted Potatoes-AKA Good Lookin’ Man Potatoes

There is an old dutch proverb that reads, “Eat butter first, and eat it last, and live till a hundred years be past.”  I don’t know about you, but this seems to be some great advice.

Of course we now know that eating too much butter on a regular basis is a recipe for heart disease, but I am a firm believer of everything in moderation.  And when it comes to butter, there are a few things that I just won’t compromise on.  The amount of butter on these potatoes is one of those things.  You need alot.  And I mean, ALOT.  I made them the other night and tried to cut back to save a few calories-big mistake and a big disappointment.  Now, as a general rule, I only buy unsalted butter.  Why?  Well, the majority of the time I am using it for baking and I don’t need all that extra salt in my recipe.  The flavor of the end product is the same, less sodium is better for you, and it is a good habit to get into.  But I do buy salted butter at Thanksgiving and usually have a block of it in my freezer.  If you are eating butter on a hot roll or directly on a pile of mashed potatoes (as I do-gravy less), then I like the flavor better.  I grew up adding a pat of butter to my bowl of malt-o-meal and was very disappointed when the taste wasn’t the same when I made it when I got older.  Aha!  Salted butter!  *sigh*  So good on food, so bad for your blood pressure.

For the record, I am NOT one of those people who love butter so much they could eat it with a spoon.  You have to draw the line somewhere, and mine is when there is more butter than food.  Once, when I was a little girl, I was sitting down to dinner with my family and my Grandmother was visiting.  When I liberally buttered a warm and crusty slice of my Mom’s homemade bread, she calmly took it away from me and re-buttered it.  When she was done, I couldn’t even taste the bread, it was slathered on so thick.  She smiled at me, winked and buttered hers the same way.  Now, I loved my Grandmother dearly, but a heart attack at 10 was not my goal.  I nearly gagged.

The first time I ever made these potatoes I was serving about 500 people.  I was 16 years old and working at the MN State Fair 4-H Building Cafeteria.  I have no idea if Molly and Dede, the women in charge and dear friends of mine, created this dish or if it existed even before their time, but I’m sure glad it was on the menu.  In fact, I love these potatoes so much, they were served at my wedding.  Nowadays, I make them on a much smaller scale, but the recipe hasn’t really changed.  And just like you can’t substitute skim milk if you are making alfredo, bite the bullet and add more butter to these potatoes.  And who knows?  Maybe they will help you live to be a hundred.

You may be curious about the title of this recipe, but its kind of a long story.  Suffice to say, there was a good lookin’ man, and he loved these potatoes.  Huh!  I guess it wasn’t that long of a story after all.Good Lookin’ Man Potatoes
Exact measurements do not matter.  Just throw the ingredients together and you have a winner.  These potatoes go great with everything.  It is one of those dishes that you can fall back on and use over and over.  Everyone will like them and the leftovers are fantastic fried for breakfast the next day.

Potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces
Onions, sliced
Garlic, minced (fresh or jarred)
Dried Parsley
Salt and Pepper
Butter!

Layer the potatoes and onions in a shallow casserole.  I like to use one, med sized onion for a large casserole dish, but adjust based on your taste.  Sprinkle garlic over the top-be generous!  Shake some dried parsley on and the salt and pepper.  You can melt butter and pour it over the top or just cut up a stick into little pats and let it melt as it bakes.  For a large casserole, I recommend a whole stick of butter, but you be the judge.  Make a little or alot, just adjust the quantity.  If you are grilling, put the whole thing in a disposable tinfoil pan, cover with foil and place directly on the grill.  Or, cover with foil and roast in the oven at 375 for a half an hour to 45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork. Cooking time will vary based on the size you cut your potatoes.