What’s cooking today: Gremolata potato wedges

Gremolata traditionally goes with osso buco, the veal shin stew which is finished with this tangy mixture of finely chopped garlic, parsley and lemon zest. I also mixed a little of the gremolata into simple mayonnaise, for an extra touch on the side. Mayo is always good with crispy potatoes.

You can peel the potatoes if you prefer but sometimes I choose to keep the skins on for an extra bit of earthy flavour. I also cooked them with onion for additional interest. The ratio of potatoes to onions is two to one.

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, washed but not peeled

2 medium onions, cut into quarters with the root intact and the outer layer peeled

Olive oil

Garlic powder to taste

Onion powder to taste

Black pepper to taste

Coarse salt to taste

A little cold water

⅓ cup mayonnaise

A small handful of parsley, finely chopped

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to at least 220℃.

Oil the bottom of a heavy oven pan.

Wash and dry the potatoes and cut them into chunky wedges.

Peel the onions and cut them into wedges, but leave the root intact to help them to hold together.

Put the potatoes and onions in the pan and pour plenty of olive oil over. Season generously with salt and black pepper, and sprinkle onion powder and garlic powder over. Toss it again, several times, so that everything is coated.

Take the pan to the tap and turn the cold water on (not over the pan). With your fingers, sprinkle a little water all over the potatoes; not much at all. This is a Greek method of helping phyllo pastry crisp, and it works for potatoes too.

Use two thirds of the gremolata to toss through the wedges. Stir the remainder into a third cup of mayonnaise (whatever’s in the cupboard).

Bake in the preheated oven until crisp and soft at the centre. Toss now and then for even cooking. They should take 45 minutes to an hour, but some people’s wedges are thicker than others, and all ovens behave differently so judge it by crispness and whether they’re soft in the middle.

Mix the parsley, garlic and zest together in a bowl and season with a little salt and pepper. Stir a third of this into the mayonnaise.

When the potatoes are done, spoon the rest of the gremolata over and toss well to coat everything. Serve with the gremolata mayo on the side. DM/TGIFood

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Champion 2021. His book, foodSTUFF, is available in the DM Shop. Buy it here. 

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