Name: Roasted Potatoes with Onion, Bacon, and Thyme
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 5 slices bacon; 1 medium head garlic; 1 1/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes , peeled and cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces; 1 medium onion , peeled and cut into one-inch to one and one-quarter-inch wedges through the root end; 1 teaspoons dried thyme (crumbled)

Why This Recipe Works

When developing our roasted potatoes recipe, we found that the rules that apply to roasting meats also apply to roasting vegetables: You need high, dry heat and a low-sided roasting pan that is large enough to accommodate the vegetables without crowding. You also need some fat. A number of types work well in our roasted potatoes recipe. For a light, crisp crust choose vegetable oil; for flavor, olive oil or butter. A combination of butter and oil browns better than butter alone but not as well as oil alone.

Before You Begin

This preparation is superb with potatoes, but it works nicely with other root vegetables as well. Remember to follow the oven temperatures in the Roasted Carrot and Red Onion with Balsamic Vinegar and Roasted Turnips, Shallots and Garlic with Rosemary recipes if you choose those vegetables.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook 5 slices of bacon (1/4 pound) in a roasting pan over medium-high heat or in a 400 degree oven until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble and set aside. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in roasting pan.

If roasting garlic cloves in skins, simply break head into individual cloves. If you wish to roast cloves out of skins, put whole, unpeeled head in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to boil, then simmer to soften cloves and loosen skins, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh garlic head under cold water. Separate cloves and peel.

Put vegetables (excluding garlic) into a roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Toss vegetables with bacon fat from roasting pan, dried crumbled thyme and sprinkle with salt. Roast, stirring or shaking vegetables every 15 minutes, until tender and evenly browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Add unpeeled garlic cloves during final 20 minutes; add peeled garlic during final 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper; taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with crumbled bacon and serve hot or at room temperature.