On Sunday, we sold my parent’s dining set. Though I knew we wouldn’t have it on our home, we held onto it for a number of years after my mother passed. The big French table, straw covered seats, and carved oak buffet were an almost perfect match, not like “something out of the Sears catalog” as my mother used to say.
Elisabeth and John bought the dining set; we met on Craigslist. At some point I realized I may have been treating the sale as more of an adoption, I really wanted it to go to a good home- not to some dealer who planned to split it up. I chose Elisabeth and John because in her emails,Elisabeth sounded like she really loved furniture. She mentioned that she just couldn’t part with a bedroom set that John’s great grandfather had made, but most importantly, she wanted to put the set in their big kitchen/family room where it would see many family dinners.
On the day of the sale, I pulled out the leaves of the table and the evidence of nearly 100 years of dinners and celebrations- the ever so slight ring from the time my mom forgot to put down a trivet. I added a bit of oil to a cloth and I wiped the table, the chairs, and the buffet for the last time.
Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Polllen
Mom’s Roasted Potatoes (With Fennel Pollen)
These are roasted potatoes just like my mom used to make and like her mother made before her. My great aunt and her daughter makes them too. I always think of them as my mom’s or as French roasted potatoes. The only difference is a very simple addition of fennel pollen. I love them on their own, with roast chicken, or my favorite is to leave them in the oven overnight (while it’s off) and then have them with a poached egg for breakfast.
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INGREDIENTS Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Pollen
- 1 ½ lbs small yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (try smoked sea salt)
- ½ tablespoon fennel pollen
- ½ tablespoon pepper
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INSTRUCTIONS Roasted Potatoes With Fennel Pollen
- preheat the oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- wash and dry potatoes very well- they MUST be dry
- slice the potatoes in half and toss with olive oil and half of the salt
- place face down on the baking sheet- be careful not to crowd, use two sheets if you have to- crowded potatoes won’t get crispy skins
- cook for 25 minutes and test for doneness (will depend on the size of your potatoes) if using two baking sheets, switch positions if they’re not done.
- When potatoes are done, turn broiler to high and cook for 5 minutes under broiler, watching carefully, the whole time.
- Remove from oven, toss with fennel pollen, cracked pepper, and more salt if needed. Enjoy.
Such a touching story. Thanks for sharing and introducing us (who are not in the know) to fennel pollen. Looking forward to seeing more recipes featuring this new ingredient.
It is hard to part with things that hold so many wonderful memories. However, I am sure the couple that bought this will be making wonderful memories of their own with the dining set, so it will continue to get some great use is that is any consolation.
The roasted potatoes must be delicious-just the thought of the fennel in there is making me crave these. Thanks for sharing the recipe and have a great weekend!