This recipe, which we ran across in an issue of Bon Appetit magazine, requires a great many bay leaves. If you
buy them in the grocery store in those little bottles, you will pay a fortune (several hundred dollars per pound).
Order them in bulk by mail order or over the Internet, or you can buy them in bags at an Italian market (try Hertel
Street). We actually buy ours fresh on the branch at the French Market in New Orleans when we go visit. Then we
hang them until dry and store in a plastic bag in our cupboard for up to a year. Then it's time to go home to visit
and buy more!
Cooking vinaigrette
¼ c plus 2 T freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
1 T dried oregano, rubbed between your hands to crumble it
1½ t salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper
½ c extra virgin olive oil
Potatoes
3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (you can use baby new potatoes, unpeeled and quartered if you like)
Cooking vinaigrette (above)
20 bay leaves
Directions
Prepare the cooking vinaigrette by mixing together the lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside. Prepare potatoes and leave soaking in a pot of cold water (completely covered) until ready to use. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drain potatoes well and toss with cooking vinaigrette and bay leaves in a shallow roasting pan. Bake in oven, turning occasionally with a spatula, until done and (if desired) golden brown, approximately 40 minutes. (The cooking time will vary depending upon the age of the potatoes.) Before serving, discard the bay leaves (or at least warn people not to eat them). Adjust the seasonings by adding salt and pepper.
Notes
You can increase this recipe for a crowd, if desired. Just remember to increase the amount of potatoes, but don't increase the olive oil amount as much as you might expect, otherwise the potatoes will be too oily. Also, the cooking time for large quantities will be longer (about 1½ hour for 20 lbs) and the potatoes do not tend to brown as much when there are large quantities. Also, when cooking large quantities, I cover the potatoes with foil for the first half of the cooking time, then remove the foil and finish cooking until tender. You may want to do the same even for small batches. Finally, feel free to play around with the seasonings. You can do all kinds of interesting things with potatoes. Start with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, but then add your own herbs and spices. I have used lime juice, cumin, and ancho chile powder (substitute hot paprika) for a nice result, with some freshly chopped cilantro tossed on at the end. Another nice combination is thyme and lemon pepper. We have also tossed the potatoes with a favorite salsa before baking, or lime juice and canned chipotlé chile peppers in their sauce (pureed first). Have fun! They're just potatoes, after all!