For More Flavorful Roasted Potatoes, Grab A Roll Of Parchment Paper

If you have a humble roll of parchment paper sitting in one of your kitchen drawers, acquaint yourself with the all the ways to use parchment paper. One of these culinary methods is "en papillote," a French technique in which food is with wrapped in an envelope of parchment paper to be cooked by the steam of its own internal moisture. While this method is often favored for vegetables, meat, and especially tender fish, en papillote can also produce wonderful roast potatoes with a soft, moist interior. 

To prepare roasted potatoes en papillote, coat potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper (along with any other aromatics or seasonings you wish to use), then lay them out on a sheet of parchment paper over a baking tray. Arrange your potatoes and any other ingredients you may be using on one side of the parchment paper, then fold the other half over the top, crimping the edges until the potatoes are contained. 

Roast the potatoes in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once complete, you can serve the potatoes as they are, or if you want to ensure maximum crispiness, leave them to roast uncovered for an extra few minutes. In a pinch, aluminum foil could also be used in place of parchment paper, but make sure not to accidentally use wax or plain brown paper, as these can either leak or burn at high temperatures.

Once you master this method of flavorful roasted potatoes, there are plenty of ways to take this advice a step further and make even more flavorful potatoes. You could follow the advice of celebrity chef, cookbook author, and and TV personality Nigella Lawson, who was credited with causing sales of rich, luxurious goose fat to explode across the UK after she recommended it as the perfect medium for roasting potatoes. The bright notes of herb and citrus that lemon and thyme would bring are also a nice option. Alternatively, if you prefer something bolder, you could consider adding polarizing, umami-rich Marmite, which when combined with butter makes an excellent glaze.

Another way to level up potatoes is by making pommes boulangère, or "baker's potatoes", a rustic French classic dating back centuries.The layered dish uses thinly sliced potato, garlic, caramelized onion, and stock, wine, or some other cooking liquid all nestled under what is known as a cartouche, which is a lid of parchment paper that lets what is cooked beneath it steam and sizzle evenly, while allowing for a consistent level of evaporation.