Potatoes Baked in Olive Oil with Za'atar

This recipe is dedicated to my vegetarian nieces (and friends). I started writing this last week but I had second thoughts because this is so easy to make. This is the kind of recipe that has a number steps but in-between each step you are free to do something else. I often make this when I am having a large dinner party – the potatoes can be parboiled the night before and stored in the refrigerator. 

[Rating – easy]

Preparation time: 

10 minutes to peel and cube the potatoes

12-15 minutes to parboil the potatoes

35-45 minutes in the oven (depending on how crispy you like the outside)

(Left to right)
 Kosher Salt, Peeled Potatoes, coarse Black Pepper,
Olive Oil and  Za'atar

Ingredients: 

3-4 white potatoes peeled and cubed

Olive Oil – about ¼ cup – or enough to coat the potatoes

Za’atar* (I am referring commercial Za’atar here)

Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper

Preparation: 

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes
• Fill a medium size pot with slightly salted water
• Add the cubed potatoes and bring the water to a boil (don’t cover the pot all the way because the water will bubble over) 

Cubed Potatoes in a pot of water

• Boil for about 10-12 minutes
• You can tell the potatoes are parboiled because when you poke them with a fork they will still feel firm
• Remove and drain the potatoes

Potatoes draining

• Place them in a baking dish

Potatoes in a baking dish*
(this can be made in a toaster oven if you use a metal pan)

• Add enough Olive Oil to coat the potatoes (gently mix the potatoes to coat)
• Generously sprinkle with Za’atar – use as much or as little as you like
• Season with Kosher Salt and Coarse Black Pepper
• Bake 35-45 minutes in a medium-hot oven until the potatoes begin to brown on the outside. [Mix once or twice to make sure all the potatoes get crispy] 

Potatoes Baked in Olive Oil with Za'atar
(notice the nice crispy edges!!!)

These are really finger licking good!!!

Note: 

--This recipe can be doubled and tripled according to the number of people you are feeding, just use a larger baking dish and increase your additions accordingly. 

--The potatoes tend to shrink when they are baked so don't hesitate to fill the baking dish. 

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*Za'atar (Arabic: زَعْتَر‎ za‘tar, also Romanized zaatar, za'tar, zatar, zatr, zattr, zahatar, zaktar or satar). Za'atar is both a family of herbs and an herb, Thymbra spicata, with a slight minty tendency, in the marjoram/oregano family. Commercial Za’atar is mixed with sesame seeds, dried sumac, thyme and often salt, as well as other spices. It is frequently used in Middle Eastern cuisine as both an herb and a spice mixture.