While thinking about dinner tonight, something not too difficult, the first idea
that pop up are Roast chicken and potatoes.  You can roast the potatoes with
the chicken, there are plenty of recipes out there for that.  One of the most
popular is the Chicken Scarpariello, with onions, garlic, potatoes, sausage
and herbs...or Chicken Murphy, a Jersey Shore speciality, throw some hot
peppers and bell peppers into that mix.  Or you can simply make the potatoes
as your side dish to a meal with or without meat.  Simple.  Here's where
your herb pantry or fresh herbs comes in to play. 

   For this recipe, buy the small, round Yukon Golds.  About 3 lbs.washed and
cubed, then plunged into cold water, will feed about 6 people.  The water keeps
them from oxidizing and going brown after you cut them, but it adds another
step.  Drain them, and with paper towels, pat them dry.  Preheat the oven to 400.
Chop 3 cloves of garlic, 1 small onion, diced, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbs. kosher salt,
1 tsp. good paprika....we will discuss paprika in a second.  1 tbs. fresh ground
black pepper, and  2 tbs. fresh chopped rosemary, 1 tbs. fresh minced thyme
leaves, and 1 bay leaf.  Place the potatoes in a baking sheet or pan.  Toss well
with all of the ingredients.  Then roast for 10 minutes...with a spatula turn the
potatoes over, and roast for another 15 minutes...test for doneness, again, ovens
are all different...if the potatoes are still starchy or somewhat hard, turn with the
spatula again, and roast for another 5-8 minutes.  There should be a nice color
and some crust on these spuds.  Simple, yet full of flavor.
  
   I return to the kitchen of my youth..the smell of the roasting potatoes, especially
on a chilly day, awesome aroma.  Oregano is a good herb for these as well. I
remember a great roasted herb potato dish in Provence once...there were sprigs
of fresh thyme over the whole dish and it was extremely tasty.  Now let's talk about
paprika.  It does have flavor and it does more than give color to the top of a deviled
egg.  The generic paprika really doesn't, but seek out the many global paprikas you
can find in most stores.  Szeged Hungarian Paprika in either hot or sweet form is
a great spice to have in your pantry. 



   This is a must have spice for real Goulash, Paprikash, stuffed
cabbage, and other delights of the Hungarian and Czech kitchens.  There are
also wonderful Spanish paprikas, the smoked Pimenton of Spain, which
gives the flame orange colors to chorizo, another one you must purchase
for your spice collection.  Not mild in flavor intensity, it also comes in hot
and sweet.  It imparts a mysteriously smoky flavor to the dishes it's added
to.


   Don't run by the spice aisle at the store...seek out the vasy array of
flavors that can take your everyday cooking to another place...a simple roasted
potato seasoned with new exotic flavors, will make just another Wednesday
night meal an extraordinary one.