Smashed Fried Lemon Potatoes
By: Giangi Townsend
Published: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - 9:51am

Ingredients




1 ½ pound (24 oz. bag) fingerling potatoes, all the same size if possible
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves peeled and end core removed
Zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

1 In a large pot of salted water place the well-scrubbed potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water. Using the palm, or the back of a large spatula, press the potatoes until slightly mashed. 2 In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until slightly brown. Remove and toss. Add the potatoes and cook without stirring for about 5 to 10 minutes, the bottoms need to be a nice golden brown color. Using a spatula or cooking thongs, turn and cook another 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 3 In a bowl mix together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, vinegar and sea salt. Add the potatoes and coat them well gently.

About

Last night dinner was a combination of old and new recipes. After having all sorts of homemade pasta, potatoes was a nice change. We also potted some fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and sage and are excited about using them in our nightly cooking.
I was in the mood for crisp fried potatoes with the enhanced flavor of the fresh herbs that we just potted. Looking thru my cook books I found numerous versions of the below recipe and decided to take old recipe, already  done, and blend it with new ones and see what happens.  Great little dish with left over that can be warm up and enjoyed for lunch.
The pork recipe is a combination of two recipes from old Italian cook books, modified to suit our taste buds.
TIP: The dinner is pretty easy and simple to assemble however make sure that all the ingredients are prepared and ready to go before cooking.  Start with the potatoes as they are the one taking the longest and they do not need to be hot when served. To save time, the honey-balsamic sauce may be prepared in a small sauce pan while cooking the pork chops.
Enjoy!