Parmesan Potatoes

These potatoes were tasty and easy to make (a GREAT substitution to use instead of the frozen tator-tots I have been guilty of buying lately)! My boys also love helping me shake foods up in a Ziploc, so that’s an extra bonus for this recipe :-)

So, I’m a teacher but I also manage the school’s student information systems… so I don’t get my summers completely off. I work from home almost every day and am on call as issues arise throughout the summer. That’s the back-story you need to know for the following conversation…

We’re in the car, we had just finished up a doctor’s appointment and were on our way to another appointment and I said “Hey boys, I’m going to run by home real fast to check something and send an email. I’ll just be five minutes.”

Andrew says “you are addicted to working mom, we don’t need to go home so you can send an email”.

I say “Well, my boss says that I do… you see I get paid to help answer questions during the summer so if someone asks a question I have to quickly answer it”.

Andrew and Abbott break out into uncontrollable laughter.

I say “What! You don’t believe me? I actually have the answers when no one else does.”

Abbott’s still uncontrollably laughing and between Andrew’s giggles he laughs out a mocking “O.K. mom…. “

I say, “It’s true, your mom is actually smart when it comes to this stuff”

Andrew says “Mom you don’t even know directions like north, east, south, west”… then both boys bust out into another round of laughter.

I sigh and don’t say anything else… I’ve lost them… to them I’ll always be their idiot mom who can’t figure out if I’m going north or south, who can’t fry on the stove because she starts grease fires, who can’t carry in the water jugs because she isn’t strong enough, and who can’t figure out their complicated math homework.

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)

Directions
Clean the potatoes- a trick I learned working at the hospital cafeteria was to run the potatoes through the dishwasher without any soap, the heat and water spray gets them very clean!
Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes, leaving skins on. In a large ziploc baggie, mix together oil, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and cheese. Add the potatoes to the bag, seal, and shake the potatoes to coat them with the seasoning. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.