Garlic and rosemary. Two flavors that when combined with a splash of oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, make whatever they are made with smell and taste absolutely delicious. Parmentier potatoes, a French classic, combine these pantry favorite herbs and spices into the simplest, yet utterly moreish, sheet pan potato side dish.

I like cooking parmentier potatoes because I always have garlic and rosemary in my pantry or garden, but also because using the combination is almost bombproof. To get a dish like this wrong, you must have fallen asleep on the couch or misread the ingredients! The flavors are reliable and evoke the best of French cuisine, without having to slave away over a hugely complicated recipe, and they match with red meat, chicken and pork, or even seafood.

The natural tendency is for cooks to parboil the potatoes prior to baking, however I’ve found with this parmentier potato recipe doing so isn’t necessary for success. If you are inexperienced or aren’t sure how long to cook them in your oven, then parboiling ensures that your spuds will be cooked. If you spend way too much time cooking up a variety of baked potato dishes (like me), you should have an accurate handle on just how long it takes for them to be crunchy on the outside, yet perfectly fluffy on the inside.

Some recipes may add other herbs (such as rosemary’s good friend thyme) but I like to let rosemary be the strongest element. While garlic is rich and earthy – and a brilliant help to quell the sniffles – rosemary is fresh and vibrant, especially when plucked fresh and chopped finely. You don’t need much more than some kosher salt and black pepper to have the perfect potato dish!