Fiesta Potatoes

Back when I was in highschool (and was a much unhealthier person), one of my favorite places to eat was Taco Bell. I even remember my disappointment after I moved to Seattle for college and found out there was no Taco Bell near my dorm. Of course, now I laugh fondly at this memory since I cannot remember the last time I ate at a drive-through, fast food joint. I'm all about the slow food these days...

The memory of Taco Bell came back to me when I was making these potatoes. One of my favorite things to order there were the spicy tator tots, but my senior year they stopped making these and started making "Fiesta Potatoes" which were spicy potato wedges. I decided to name this creation in their honor.

In the past few years, I've had a love-hate relationship with potatoes. I've heard that potatoes have a high glycemix index and therefore are a "bad" carbohydrate. Being the health nut that I am, I have followed this advice and tried to avoid potatoes at all costs.

However, lately I've started to induldge a little more. I figure that I'm getting enough colorful fruits and vegetables that a few white carbs can't hurt. And once you taste these, you'll hopefully agree with my theory as well. :)

Potatoes (any variety - red and russet both work well)
Cumin
Salt
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Black Pepper (to taste)
Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and scrub the potatoes (leaving the skin on) and cut potatoes into bite-size wedges. Combine equal parts cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in small bowl and mix. (I usually use about 1 Tb of each) Add black pepper and cayenne to taste, depending on how spicy you want the potatoes.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet and coat lightly in olive oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the potatoes. Turn the potatoes and sprinkle more spices. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the potatoes. Bake for another 8-10 minutes until they are brown and crisp.

Soy-free, gluten-free