Huzzah! Fall is in the air, and the pigs are starting to come in for harvest. With all those new potatoes coming out of the ground, and all that pork fat in the rendering pot, a great combination was bound to result. For the past two weeks, our family hasn’t been able to get enough of these delicious potatoes. And as the cook, because they are so darn easy, I am always happy to make them. Whenever I craved potatoes before, I always took the labor-intensive route and fried them in lard and butter in a cast iron skillet on the cook top. I’ve since discovered that using the convection setting on my oven guarantees much more consistent results. The potatoes are crispy and delightfully greasy on the outside, and fluffy and full of flavor on the inside. That’s because the circulating air from the convection setting will dry out the surface of the potatoes. …And leave the cook with a lot less time standing in the kitchen. As daylight wanes and vitamin D deficiency once more becomes a concern here in the Northeast east, I would like to propose a toast to the featured ingredient of this recipes: creamy white pastured pork lard, rich in fat soluble vitamins, especially vitamin D.

Serves 4-6

3 pounds boiling (thin skinned) potatoes, chopped into one inch chunks
2 ounces lard
2 ounces butter
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven on the convection setting to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes in a 9X12 baking pan. Set the chunk of lard and the chunk of butter on top of the potatoes. Put the pan in the oven and leave it for about 10 minutes, until the fats have completely melted. Remove. Using a wooden spoon, stir the potatoes until they are thoroughly coated in the fat. Salt to taste, then return them to the oven for one hour. Serve hot. Leftovers re-warm beautifully if put in a 350 degree oven (not on the convection setting) for 20-30 minutes.