The best potato side dish and my all time favorite are these easy Crispy Roasted Potatoes ENCRUSTED with Italian Style Bread Crumbs.
Here the one thing that is key are the seasoned bread crumbs. I make my own version of Italian Style Bread Crumbs and they are amazing. For me they are a kitchen staple that I make in large batches, store in the freezer and keep to use whenever I need. The possibilities for these homemade bread crumbs are endless. Not only can you use them to make chicken cutlets but you can make shrimp oreganata and baked clams. Endless possibilities.
If you don’t want to make these, you can use store bought. But add some grated Pecorino to them for added flavor.
You can find the recipe for the bread crumbs at the end of this blog post and in my cookbook.
Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Bread Crumbs.
(Serves 4)
1 ½ lbs. Potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
⅓ Cup Olive Oil, PLUS MORE FOR PAN
⅔ Cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the potatoes in a small bowl and coat with ⅓ cup of olive oil. Sprinkle in the bread crumbs coating each potato in the crumbs.
Coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Add in the potatoes. Drizzle on some more olive oil and bake for about thirty minutes until the potatoes are cooked thru and crusty.
Homemade Italian Style Bread Crumbs
6 Cups Plain Bread Crumbs
15 Garlic Cloves - Chopped
2 Cups Grated Pecorino Romano
½ Cup Parsley - Chopped
2 tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Pepper
In a large airtight container combine all the ingredients. The chopped garlic tends to stick together a little, so be sure the ingredients are all combined well. Sometimes I use my hands to combine. Store in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to 4 months and use when needed.