Roasted Garlic Potatoes with Blue Cheese Dressing

When I found out I was pregnant, I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy cheese to the fullest extent. I heard all the advice about staying away from soft cheese like Brie, goat cheese, feta and even blue cheeses. But what folks failed to tell me was that pasteurized cheeses as safe to eat while pregnant. Thank goodness for that since many of these cheeses are pasteurized!

Now that we got that cleared up, I was happy to be able to prepare and enjoy this recipe. Blue cheese may be an acquired taste (as I know a few friends who don’t like it) but if are a fan, you’ll like like this! Most may think blue cheese dressing is great for salads or even a crisp lettuce wedge. Well they’re equally delicious on crispy potatoes tossed with garlic and herbs. The recipe makes quite a bit of dressing so you’ll have some leftover to top baked potatoes, or if you must, a nice salad.

2 pounds small Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, cut into ‘fries’
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Dressing:
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with oil, garlic, parsley and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan, cut side down, so the cut layer gets super crispy like a French fry. Roast for 30 minutes, or until crispy.
To make the dressing, put the cheese, buttermilk, lemon juice and thyme in a small bowl and stir together with a fork, mashing a little to break up the cheese.

Remove the potatoes out of the oven and serve hot with a drizzle of the dressing over the top. If you’d like, you can also warm the dressing in the microwave for 1 minute before drizzling over the potatoes.