ROASTED BUTTERY NEW POTATOES

SERVES 6

This roasted potato recipe is so good. The melted butter browns the potatoes as they roast and gives a rich, nutty flavor. Try to find new potatoes when they are in season, but any small potato will do. When cutting the slits, place the potato on a large spoon. The sloped edges of the spoon will prevent the knife from cutting through the bottom of the potato. These potatoes are excellent with almost any meal, but my mother usually served them with an Easter ham dinner.

• 2 pounds small new red-skinned potatoes (of fairly equal size)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter, preferably unsalted
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Paprika

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Wash potatoes. (Peeling is not necessary.) Cut slits as thin as possible in each, starting at one end and working your way to the other, being careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom. Place in one layer in a baking dish. Pour melted butter over all. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes, then check for doneness. Replace foil and continue roasting until fork tender, about 15 more minutes, depending on size of potatoes. Remove from the oven, baste with butter in bottom of pan and garnish with parsley and paprika. Serve immediately.