Hot Drums with Patriotic Potatoes

I have drums on my brain. I have been dreaming and drawing drums the last two weeks and will continue to for the next two. I am so honored to announce that I, yes moi, am making the birthday cake for a drummer by the name of Ringo. Have you heard of him? From the Beattles, you ask? Yes, that's the one! It's a super long story but it is an honor I am so excited about. I never would have dreamed that my client base for my cake business would include a Beattle and Elvis. This is about as exciting as it gets around here friends. I promise I will post pictures when all is said and done but until that day comes I have decided to sink my teeth into another kind of drum. A hot drum.
A couple of weeks ago some dear friends asked us to dinner. It was a lovely night full of good laughs and finger lickin' good food. Our friends made some hot chicken drums that are basically hot wings but on a chicken drum. They were delicious. I have been dreaming about them, and the other kind, since that night so I decided to make some of my own. There is nothing to them really but they are oh so heavenly. I use to hate hot wings. It is one of those weird things where one day I decided I was going to like them. So I did. And I have had some good ones and some okay ones. For me, the spicier the better. I want my teeth to sweat when I eat a wing. My favorite part is being able to dunk the wing over and over into creamy blue cheese and not think anything of it. Does life get better than that? Well, I decided I would pair up these babies with some blue cheese roasted red potatoes. These are a perfect treat to a hot summer night. Be sure you sip on some house wine of the south.

Hot Drums with Patriot Potatoes

Chicken Drums (Plan for 2.5 per person)
1 cup of Texas Pete (you can do Louisiana too but I stick with my roots on this one)

Dump all of the above in a bag and let it marinate for at least 24 hours and up to 48. Promise, the flavor is NOT THERE unless you have at least 24 hours for these babies to get all happy. When you are ready to cook you can either grill or roast. To grill, preheat the grill to about 400 degrees. Cook these babies for about 30-35 minutes, turning in between until juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
If roasting, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast for 25-28 minutes until skin is looking crisped and juices run clear when pierced, turning in between cooking. If you want the skin to crisp up more, turn the oven to broil for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Broil them and turn a few times to get the skin crispy all around. Don't take your eyes off of them because they can burn up super fast under the broiler.

Meanwhile, start your potatoes. I used a beautiful medley of mixed baby potatoes that were Yukon gold, red and purple. They were so great! If you can only find one small potato you can go with either Yukon gold or red. I usually estimate about 3 mini potatoes per person or 2 medium size.

Red white and Blue Potatoes
1 lb of mixed baby potatoes, rinsed and gross spots removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp Dill, Garlic Power, Onion Powder, Paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne

Cut your potatoes in quarters if they are small or cubes if they are a bit larger. You want the sizes to be very similar so they cook evenly. Throw the potatoes directly on to your cookie sheet. Add the other ingredients and toss to coat. Cook in 425 degree (same as the chicken so you have to make them!) oven for 18-20 minutes until fork tender.

1 green onion thinly sliced
2 Tbsp fresh chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Place your cooked potatoes into your serving bowl and throw in the onions, parsley and blue cheese (feel free to add more) and gently toss. The blue cheese is going to get all warm and melty and heavenly.

Serve potatoes with drum sticks and a side of either ranch or blue cheese for extra dipping.

Enjoy Y'all!