I did a Romantic Dinner for Two the other night for a couple in Ludlow, MA. The evening was a blast for me and the couple, Chip and Noel. It was their 14th wedding anniversary, and part of the fun was that Noel didn’t know about it until two minutes before she walked into her own kitchen.

And Chip and Noel did something that many people do when I do a dinner for them: they spend part of the evening in the kitchen, watching me cook, and asking questions. And it’s fun for me too, because I get to meet new people, and enjoy their company.

But I got to thinking about one of the menu items from the dinner. It’s one of the all-time comfort foods, it’s easy to make, and people often don’t think about making it. And it is (they are?) roasted potatoes. How easy are they to make? It goes like this:

Take some potatoes, preferably small, red bliss potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. How many potatoes? If you get the small ones, 2-3 pieces per person. Of course, this is after you set your oven to 400˚ (or 375˚ for a convection oven). Pour some olive oil (2-4 tablespoons) over the potatoes, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper). And roast away!

And for how long? The short answer is “until they’re done.” The longer answer is probably 35-50 minutes. The key is to set your oven timer for 10 minutes. And turn over the potatoes every 10 minutes to keep them from sticking and burning, as well as to help them brown evenly. Once they’re cooked to your liking, they’re done.

And no, you don’t have to wait for a Romantic Dinner for Two to serve them. Any time. Any place. And they’ll all be eaten.