Recipe: Crispy Potatoes With Bay and Scallions
By Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, courtesy of Bon Appétit magazine.
At Cafe Ohlone in Berkeley, Calif., cofounders Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino cook traditional Ohlone food using ingredients that are almost entirely indigenous to California's East Bay, such as hand-harvested salt and California bay laurel. This dish was traditionally prepared with foraged native Brodiaea potatoes, though Medina and Trevino use more widely available Russian banana fingerlings to give the Brodiaeas time to regenerate. Medina and Trevino say: "You can see the landscape of this area reflected in the dish: It really brings home the interconnectedness of our land, food, and culture." For readers who don't have access to the same ingredients, we have called for more widely available substitutes in this adapted version of their recipe.
Crispy Potatoes With Bay and Scallions
6 - 8 Servings
Ingredients:
2 lb. fingerling or other small waxy potatoes, scrubbed
4 fresh bay leaves
Kosher salt
3 Tbsp. duck fat, room temperature
6 scallions, sliced on a diagonal into ½" pieces
Preparation:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°. Combine potatoes, bay leaves, and a few handfuls of salt in a large pot. Pour in cold water to cover potatoes by 2". Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, 25–35 minutes.
Step 2: Drain and transfer potatoes and bay leaves to a large rimmed baking sheet. Coat evenly with duck fat; season with salt. Roast, shaking baking sheet once or twice, until golden and beginning to crisp, 25–30 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in scallions. Return to oven and roast until scallions are softened and browned at the edges and potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.
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