NICOLE PARTON’S FAVORITE RECIPES: Party Nugget Potatoes

These potatoes are an excellent choice for a small Thanksgiving dinner for one person or two. The cooking time varies with the size of potato. In my opinion, smaller nuggets are preferable to larger ones. While my recipe serves more than two, it’s terrific to have leftover nugget potatoes with bacon and eggs the next morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CXFXB4uknI

Naturally, vegetables and cranberry sauce are a huge part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. If you don’t care for cooking and there’s just you, or you and a friend, don’t feel embarrassed to serve frozen mixed veggies and canned cranberry sauce with these easy potatoes. And check out the Cranberry-Orange Chicken Breasts I blogged yesterday!

Because these chicken breasts use a few cranberries, you’ll have plenty extra on hand … C’mon, go ahead and make that Cranberry Sauce! Click on the Index under Cranberries: Sauces. You’ll find some great recipes there!

Party Nugget Potatoes:

1 lb. (454 g) nugget potatoes (about 20 small), unpeeled

1 tbsp. (15 mL) olive oil

1-1/2 tsp. (7 mL) garlic salt
1/4 tsp. (1 mL) dried onion

1/4 tsp. (1 mL) dried leaf-style thyme (not powdered)

1/2 tsp. (2 mL) dried leaf-style marjoram (not powdered)

Scant grinding of pepper

Preheat oven to 450 deg. F. (See Note) Select approximately 10 red and 20 white nugget potatoes. Wash potatoes, blotting dry. Add potatoes and oil to a small work bowl, stirring until potatoes are well coated.

To a very small bowl, add garlic salt, dried onion, thyme, marjoram, and freshly ground pepper, combining well. Sprinkle over potatoes, stirring gently until evenly coated. Turn into small, ungreased oven-proof dish. Bake 30-to-40 min., depending on size of potatoes. Turn potatoes over halfway through baking time. Potatoes should be nicely browned, slightly shriveled, and soft inside. Test with a sharp paring knife to ensure doneness.

Note: I baked these super-simple potatoes in a toaster oven.