Mer says: “I never liked my Mom’s roasted potatoes, but I don’t think she did either, since we never ate them very much. She used my grandmother’s recipe, which consisted of cut-up baking potatoes roasted dry in the oven. Very much not recommended. Seasoning, spicing, flavoring and using fat isn’t a big part of my family’s traditional cooking.”

These potatoes were a complete accident, but they’re excellent for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They’re somewhere between roasted potatoes and home fries, and they do take a little more time than cooking either alone, but it’s mostly unsupervised time.

Double-Baked Home Fries

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion and chive dip mix
• 1 cup onion, diced (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together and wrap in a heavy-duty foil packet. Bake for 90 minutes at 425 degrees. Remove from foil and spread out in a single layer on a sheet pan.Broil for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so that all edges are browned.

Serves 4-6.