crispy oven potatoes

Ah, what more do I need to say? The potato is a beautiful vegetable. These crispy, fluffy-on-the-inside babies give the illusion of eating fried, naughty food. If you can spring for the organic potatoes, do it. There's such an enormous difference in the flavor (meaning, they actually have a flavor.)

When you cut the potatoes, try to make them as thin and even as you can. However, don't fret if you're a sloppy cutter like me. You'll just have to know that some potatoes will be softer and some will be a bit charred (mmm...in the words of Alex Guarnaschelli, "a poetic burn.") Secretly, I like the whole 'variety pack' thing!

CRISPY OVEN POTATOES

3 small-medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

1/8 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tbs salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

Put your empty cast-iron skillet or baking sheet into the oven and preheat to 350. (Preheating the empty pan will prevent sticking and promote browning on the potatoes)

While the pan is heating, thoroughly dry your potato slices (this also promotes crispiness.) Add them to a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix until the potatoes are all coated--hands really work best for this task.

Remove the pan from the oven (don't forget oven mitts!) and carefully spread the potatoes in one layer.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until soft. Then, move to the top rack under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Remove them from the pan asap, so they don't stick.