Yep, been too long. Months, even. And a lot’s happened given that San Francisco’s prime growing season has kicked in! But first, a quick look back to the last update. Back in January when we resuscitated the garden (and the blog…I’m starting to detect a pattern), I mentioned we’d discovered that our potato plants had popped up again over the winter holidays after we’d had to pull them months earlier due to what we thought was blight.
No sooner had I written that did the new crop suffer the same fate. Except: the potato gods gave us a reprieve, and what essentially looked like yellowing, rotting stems took a long time to spread. We waited until we were sufficiently worried (we’re good at that), and then dove into the dirt. This is what we came up with:
That’s the entire surprise harvest, and they were unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a potato that I pulled out of the dirt myself, but oh man were these phenomenal! We rinsed them, cubed them, and roasted them—they were buttery and soft, with a crisp thin skin. So worth it that we planted two 10-gallon tubs full about 6-8 weeks ago.
Simple Roasted Potatoes
Serves two hungry gardeners
1-1 1/2 lbs. new potatoes, cubed into 1″ chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced (or other fresh herbs to your liking)
Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Place an ungreased baking sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes to preheat.
- Toss all ingredients in a bowl until evenly coated.
- Spread in a single layer on hot baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between taters (helps them crisp up).
- Roast for about 15-20 minutes (or until browned and just tender), flipping taters once or twice to help them brown on all sides.
