The moments and days of this year’s summer are once again disappearing as quickly as they appear.  Spitting out watermelon seeds as juices drip down your wrist. Children playing Marco Polo and screaming in delight as they dive and jump to avoid being “it.” Ice cream melting on peach cobbler still warm from the oven. A lonely bachelor mockingbird singing through the night for a mate. Picking blackberries in the hot sun. Waving to everyone in the Fourth of July parade.

Sitting in the shade sipping cold wine on a warm evening. Grandchildren and their cousins playing baseball and squabbling over each call. Slicing strawberries for homemade ice cream. Laughing like a child during the County fair’s bumper car ride, and paging through my old favorite cookbooks for my tried and true recipes to make for visiting loved ones.

The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins is a source of many old reliable recipes. It is somewhat out of fashion these days, but it was a big favorite in the mid-80’s. I love how the book is divided by seasonal special occasions, complete with much-appreciated menus (I wish every cookbook offered them), quotes about the joy of eating and food along with delightful tips on entertaining, and historical notes on foods like this beauty:

“Next to the apple, the peach is the most widely cultivated fruit tree in the world. When Madame Recamier, a great French beauty of the nineteenth century, was ill and refused all food, a dish of peaches in syrup and cream restored both her appetite and will to live.”

I found the following recipe in a menu the perfectly titled, “Summer Memories” and it included:

Creamy Chicken and Jalapeño Nachos
Swordfish Marinated with Lime and Coriander
Stir-Fry of Three Cabbages
Potatoes Fontecchio
Avocado with Rasberry Vinaigrette
Strawberry Hazelnut Torte
White Zinfandel

Potatoes aren’t often the stars of a meal, and they are difficult to ruin, but when you add fresh mint from the garden and more garlic you thought possible to consume, they are unforgettable.

Enjoy!

Potatoes Fontecchio

Print Recipe

As a waitress during college, my nickname was "the Spud Queen," because I ate potatoes during every pre-shift meal. But my husband eats only those he cannot resist, like these. Super easy, they go great with most any grilled fish or meat.

• CourseSides

Servings	Prep Time
8 people	30 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours

Servings Prep Time 8 people 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Potatoes Fontecchio Print Recipe As a waitress during college, my nickname was "the Spud Queen," because I ate potatoes during every pre-shift meal. But my husband eats only those he cannot resist, like these. Super easy, they go great with most any grilled fish or meat. CourseSides Servings Prep Time 8 people 30 minutes Cook Time 2 hours Servings Prep Time 8 people 30 minutes Cook Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 pounds red new potatoes
• 8 cloves garlic freshly minced
• 1 1/2 cups high quality olive oil
• 2 bunches fresh mint remove stems, finely chop leaves
• 2 TB coarse kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Servings: people

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Scrub the potatoes and prick each one about six times with a fork. Place in a shallow roasting pan and roast for 2 hours. (Now I was sure there was a misprint because the recipe doesn't ask you to rub the potatoes in oil, or wrap them in foil. No - you roast them dry, so they come out a bit crispy.)
3. Cut potatoes in half.
4. Toss the warm potatoes with the garlic, oil, mint salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

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