Baked potato for dinner? Sounds perfect to me! Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t always agree. My latest solution: add blue cheese and beer. Instant success!

If you like bold, knock-you-in-the-mouth flavors, start making this dish immediately! It’s bound to become a dinner staple. From cutting board to oven, you’re done in 10 minutes; from oven to mouth another 5 minutes. Even Rachel Ray longs for such speed.

What to expect when eating this dish: Your mouth will be knocked from the right with the caramelized, full-bodied roasted garlic (both in minced and whole clove form to add double-power). Then, your mouth will get socked from the left with bitey blue gorgonzola. Next, experience the crisp, sweet of apple, dancing merrily along. Everything is coated in a silky salty marinade perfect for bringing in the earthy, comforting potato. Flavor upon flavor upon happy, enticing flavor!

Double bonus: Since this recipe requires less than a full bottle of brew for the marinade, you’ll have to suffer through and finish off that beer while you’re cooking. This recipe is torture!

Did I mention? You’re also getting a hearty helping of fiber and vitamins. Don’t you love it when indulgence is healthy?

Purple Potato Wedges with Apple, Gorgonzola & an Amber Ale Marinade

Ingredients:
2 lbs. purple potatoes, quartered lengthwise into wedges (you can use other potatoes, but the purple ones are so delicious!—and they’re only $3 at the farmers’ market)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
10 additional garlic cloves (whole, skins removed)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup amber ale (such as Hoppy Face Amber or Boont Amber)
2 crisp apples, such as Fuji, diced
¼ heaping cup gorgonzola cheese crumbled

Farmers' Market fare: potatoes, garlic, olive oil, apples
Locally sourced from California: amber ale
Grocery store (non-local) products: soy sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss potato wedges into a large mixing bowl. Toss both minced garlic and whole garlic cloves into the same bowl.

Pour ¼ cup each olive oil, soy sauce, and amber ale over the potatoes and garlic. Toss until potatoes are coated with the marinade. Dump the contents of the bowl onto a large baking sheet and place in the oven for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are soft when punctured with a fork.

Remove potatoes from oven. Dump the contents of the baking sheet (including any marinade) back into the large bowl. Dice the apples and toss them into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the gorgonzola cheese. Toss until apples are coated with marinade and the cheese is just slightly melted. Serve with more amber ale.

As you can see from the photo, the potatoes will soak up the dark soy sauce and caramelize in the marinade as they cook. Yum!

This makes more than enough for two large helpings, plus leftovers for lunch the next day. You could also serve this as a side at your next BBQ. If you don’t LOVE this dish… well, I just don’t know if there’s help for you.

Labels: aebleskiver recipe, amber ale marinade, apple, apples, farmers' market meal, garlic, gorgonzola, purple potato wedges