Roasted Pumpkin and Fingerling Potatoes with Thyme and Black Mission Figs

So this is a riff on a recipe I got from my old Harmony and Counterpoint professor Jairo Moreno, who you may remember from my roasted chicken post. He mentioned the original pumpkin free recipe in class last fall and I have been trying to make it for some time, but I must admit finding all the proper ingredients all in one trip to the grocery store is a little tricky. Even the humongous Whole Foods on Houston St. has fingerling potatoes only sporadically, and happening upon a pumpkin, especially small enough to not be eating pumpkin for the next two weeks, forget about it... Luckily if you want to whip this up in a flash you could use any gourd or small baking potato you prefer though I have to say that the fingerling potatoes have a suppleness and a certain bite size elegance hard to find in other varieties.

The original recipe I heard from Jairo didn't have the pumpkin but a few weeks ago I was invited to a pumpkin food party, and with the right pantry items on hand, I couldn't resist myself.  This is a perfect fall meal.  Hearty, rustic, and elegant this dish would be sure to impress next to your favorite roasted pheasant or quail recipe.  Come on, you know you are tempted...


Fingerling potatoes
Dried mission figs
Oolong Tea
Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt

Boil and prepare the tea in enough water to cover all the figs.  Cover the figs with hot tea and keep submerged till enough tea has been absorbed and the figs are turgid such that they will stay moist during cooking, this should take an hour or two.  Preheat oven to 400.  Put figs in baking pan w/ potatoes (cut lengthwise in half if you prefer) and drizzle with olive oil.  Add salt and thyme, then mix till seasoned evenly.   Bake at 400 till potatoes are for tender (around 45, probably more)