“Red” Potatoes

I got this recipe many years ago from a neighbor here in Jerusalem. It is easy to prepare and has long been popular in our family. I often like to prepare it for Friday night dinner since I can put it in the oven, take a little siesta with the Friday newspaper, and the potatoes just bake away on their own.  However, it is a good idea to turn the potatoes over once or twice during baking, if possible, or to baste them with the butter or margarine once or twice.  Bake in covered pan. Sometimes I make them in roasting bags (what we call in Israel ‘cookie bags”). I love this method – the potatoes come out yummy – and they will never dry out that way.

Ingredients:

• potatoes, preferably the red-skinned ones, and if possible, all approximately the same size.
• butter
• sweet red paprika
• garlic powder
• black pepper
• salt

Preparation:

1. Peel potatoes
2. With sharp knife, make cuts (slits) every half-centimeter, down into the potato but not all the way through.
3. Grease a baking pyrex that has a cover.
4. Place the potatoes on the greased pan, with the cut side on top
5. Sprinkle red paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and salt evenly over the potatoes
6. Place a chunk of butter (or margarine) on top of each potato.
7. Put the cover on the baking dish.
8. Bake in medium-slow oven (175 C or 325 F) for at least an hour (or more), till ready. They should have a nice, reddish-brown color.
   • You may want to take the baking pan out of the oven for a moment in the middle of the baking and either baste the potatoes with  the butter and spices from the bottom of the baking pan, or else you may want to turn the potatoes over for a while, with the cut side down, so that they absorb some of the butter and color from the spices.
9. Serve on platter or baking dish, with cut side up.
   • TIP: you may also make these potatoes in a “cookie” baking bag – cut the potatoes the same way, and put them in the bag, adding the  spices and butter. Close the bag and “massage” the potatoes a bit, till all the spices evenly coat the potatoes. Make 3 small slits in the top of the roasting bag, so that steam can escape.
10. Place the bag (with slits on top) on a baking pan, and  bake as described above, till potatoes are reddish-brown and ready..
11. Remove from bag, serve on platter or baking pan.