Weekly Dish

Pesto is a summer staple at our house. In fact, it was so abundant last summer that we named a lurking kitty after it. I’m sad to report that the kitty has disappeared, but the basil pesto has returned in full force.

If you have leftover pesto hanging around your fridge and a bagful of new potatoes that need to be cooked, here’s a quick and simple way to use both. These were so delicious that David and I picked them off the cookie sheet as we were cleaning up the kitchen until they all disappeared.

Pesto Potatoes

6-8 small red-skinned or other new potatoes
1 T. olive oil
2 T. basil pesto
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Cut the potatoes into eighths (about 1-inch chunks), and spread them in an even layer on the cookie sheet. Mix the pesto and oil together; drizzle over the potatoes, and then toss to coat (I use my hands to get all sides of the potatoes evenly coated). Sprinkle with a palmful of salt. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring about halfway through. Serves 2 people who have little self-control; 4 who are better behaved.

Wondering how to harvest your basil and make it last until winter? Check out Kalyn’s helpful basil tutorial.

Posted: Thursday, July 6th, 2006 at 5:38 pm Filed under: On the Side, Vegetables. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.