herbed skillet potatoes

So. I may or may not have made this side dish twice in the last week. It was either that good or I had a bunch of itty bitty potatoes I needed to use before they grew eyes. Or both.

I'm leaning towards them being that good.

The best thing about this dish is that it's relatively hands-off. That's the beauty of working with cast iron - unless you just forget about it, it maintains even heat, so you don't have to worry. Once you chop the veggies, you just have to stir it once or twice. It's quick, flavorful, and delicious.

prep time: 10 minutes | cook time: 35 minutes

experience level: easy-peasy | specialty: side dishes, vegetarian

1 pound c-size potatoes -or- quartered red potatoes (the multi-colored ones are fun)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup yellow onion, minced fine
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 large sprig fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
5 tbsp white wine -or- reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parmesan, shaved

Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit / 204° Celsius.

Heat a 7-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to the hot pan until melted, then stir in the onions, making sure they're mixed into the butter. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until they start to soften a bit. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. It's okay that the onion and garlic aren't cooked through just yet - this is just to get the process started.

Add the potatoes and season liberally with salt and pepper to your taste. Though I'm fairly cautious with sodium, I prefer potato dishes a little on the saltier side. Mix with a wooden spoon or a sturdy rubber spatula.

Separate the thyme - one large sprig and a few smaller stems of the thyme. Remove the leaves on the large sprig directly into the skillet (Martha Stewart has a handy-dandy little trick for doing that - watch a quick video here).

Add 3 tablespoon of white wine or chicken broth to deglaze the onions/garlic from skillet a bit. Remove from heat and stir to mix. Place the remaining small thyme stems on top of the potatoes.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once. I love super browned potatoes and the cast iron gives them an awesome, caramely stickiness.

When the potatoes are browned to your liking and cooked through, remove them from the oven. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of white wine/chicken broth on top and let the skillet sizzle for a bit. Once it's done steaming, sprinkle with the fresh chopped parsley and the parmesan cheese.

This makes a great dish for turkey, chicken, and pork dishes - the flavors really work well with smoked and roasted meats.