Rosemary Skewered Potatoes

I have a rosemary bush next to my front walkway which I planted the first year we moved into our house. It is now so big we trim it with a hedge trimmer, and the branches, are indeed the size of… branches. This recipe would not work with store bought rosemary, as those are the soft twigs at the end of a rosemary bush’s branches, but if you have a little (or big) rosemary bush in your yard, this is a fun use for a few of the trimmings. If you don’t, it works equally well to just broil or grill the cooked potatoes and sprinkle some chopped rosemary on top, you miss the presentation but the flavor is still wonderful.

We made these along with a few other Provençal recipes for the Monaco Grand Prix this year.

Potatoes Skewered on Rosemary Branches

24 baby potatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 
6-8 sturdy branched of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from bottom portion, leave just an inch or so on the tops, reserve 2-3 teaspoons of removed leaves — chop for garnish
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
Fine sea salt, to taste

1.Place the potatoes in a large pot. Add the bay leaf, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp olive oil, and several tablespoons water. Cover and cook over low, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, but still firm, about 25 minutes. 

2. Set broiler to high, or heat a grill and place a rack on top. 

3. Drain the potatoes. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, skewer them on the rosemary branches, threading 3-4 potatoes on each branch. Using a pastry  brush, brush on the olive oil. Place on a grill rack under the broiler or on the grill, turning them to brown evenly and keeping an eye on the remaining rosemary leaves that they don’t scorch too much, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt, garnish with chopped fresh rosemary. 

Adapted from The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells