Roasted Potatoes with Lavender

Some of the most picturesque moments of our train ride from Aix-en-Provence to Paris this past summer involved whooshing by brilliant swaths of the purple and yellow lavender and sunflower fields that checkered the French countryside.  So, when I happened across a small bag of dried lavender at a local spice shop not long after we returned, I couldn’t resist purchasing it, in a moment of slight wistfulness.  Admittedly, I had no idea what I was going to do with it in the kitchen. Thankfully, serendipity intervened, however, in the form of an article in Saveur about edible lavender, complete with this recipe for Roasted Potatoes with Lavender.  

While I originally discovered this recipe in the summer, I have been holding onto it especially for this time of year, since this is about the time that heavy root vegetable preparations start to feel ubiquitous, and a dried flower is an easy pantry item that will keep.  Simple as this side dish is, the addition of the lavender flowers to the buttery, roasted potatoes creates a light and unexpected flavor that is a welcome departure from the familiar, and a reminder that winter is finite.

You can find the recipe for Roasted Potatoes with Lavender here.  High quality dried lavender flowers can be ordered easily from The Spice House at this link.