Friday night dinners are always a little tricky for me. I like to have time to plan and assemble before guests arrive and it is a challenge for me to get home after work and get everything ready by 7:30 or 8. It can be done with advanced planning and trying not  make everything terribly complicated.

I had the urge to show off my recent yard work so I had a couple friends over on Friday night for supper. We had pear and gorgonzola salads, smashed potatoes and grilled steaks. They brought a couple bottles of really great rose – that immediately went to our heads. The steaks were simple – just a couple NY strip steaks with salt and pepper. I quickly made these potatoes. They were very easy and a tasty side dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of red potatoes
• olive oil
• couple cloves of garlic
• fresh rosemary or pecorino romano cheese

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the potatoes in a microwave safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave about 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Using a clean towel and clean counter top, smash the potatoes and place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and either fresh rosemary or big shards of peccorino romano cheese. Roast for another 20 – 30 minutes until potatoes are crispy.