The Best Snack: Crispy, Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges (and Garlic Aioli)

I couldn’t be bothered to take a nicer photo, to add parsley, to pull out my nice camera. All I could do was hover over them, holding my garlic aioli in one hand, taking giant swipes of the dip with a wedge in the other, and hoping that nobody heard my chewing in the other room lest they tried to join me. The dreaded what are you eating? What I am saying is these are simply amazing and you should make and eat them today (and don’t share).

Thank you to my friend Ahnika for sending them to me. Steve and I both declared them the best ever. Don’t skimp on the garlic salt or the onion powder (potatoes are dense! Make use of that surface area as it has to carry you through the whole delicious wedge.), and also it is likely that the presoak in the hot water does something magical.

Thank you Cookie + Kate for the best snack, quarantine or no quarantine.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Russet potatoes*, scrubbed clean; I kept the peels on
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, optional (I never got this far)

*potatoes are in the Dirty Dozen, so I always buy them organic

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut each potato in half lengthways, then in half lengthways again to make quarters, and then cut each half in half lengthways on the diagonal to make two wedges. Try to have all the wedges roughly the same size and thickness. If not, not a big deal… you’ll just have some browner, crispier than others.

Place the sliced potatoes into a large bowl and cover them with hot water. I semi-boiled some water with my kettle and then used that. Let them soak for 10 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and lightly pat them dry with a lint-free tea towel. Place the potato wedges on the prepared pan and drizzle them with the olive oil. Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and a generous amount of pepper on top. (I skipped the pepper.)

Toss until the potatoes are evenly coated in oil and spices, then arrange them in even columns across the pan so each wedge has a cut side against the pan. (If they don’t all fit, use a second pan—divide them evenly across both pans, and rotate the pans when you flip the potatoes halfway through baking. Keep an eye on them.)

Bake for 30 minutes, then flip the wedges over. Arrange them in an even layer and return the pan to the oven.

Bake until the wedges are nice and browned, crisp and easily pierced through by a fork, about 25 to 30 more minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley, if desired, and serve while hot.

AND, FINALLY, DO NOT FORGET THE AIOLI. I repeat do NOT forget the aioli. They are not the same without it.

INGREDIENTS

5 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
Sprinkle of salt
½ cup good quality mayonnaise (I used Hellmans. If it is good enough for Ina, it is good enough for me.), to taste
Optional: ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard (I didn’t use this.)

In a small, shallow bowl, combine the pressed garlic and lemon juice. Stir to combine and spread it into an even layer so the juice can work its magic. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, so the lemon juice can absorb the garlic’s flavor.

Place a fine mesh strainer over another bowl. Using a silicone or rubber spatula, scoop the contents of the bowl into the strainer, then press on the garlic with the spatula to get as much juice out as possible. Discard the garlic.
Stir the mayo into the garlicky lemon juice until combined. Taste, and adjust only if necessary—if the garlic flavor is overwhelming, stir in more mayonnaise by the tablespoon. If you want add Dijon here.

Refrigerate and it will thicken up a bit as it cools.

Eat and be merry, and then go and thank Kate for sharing it with us mortals.