Roasted Potatoes with Pesto

The other day, we grilled some meat, and a stand-by side for grilled meats around here is good ol' oven-roasted potatoes.  A lot of times, roasted potatoes don't need much more than olive oil, salt, and pepper, but it's always fun to change them up and add different herbs or spices, or in this case, fresh basil pesto! 

These potatoes were on their last leg(s?), but they were still wonderful roasted with olive oil and then tossed in pesto.  I roasted first with just olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper, and then I thew on a few big spoonfuls of pesto.  I stirred it around, and retuned to the oven for a few minutes to melt the pesto down and make it easier to distribute.  One last stir with a big spatula, and these potatoes were ready to eat.  The family loved these, except for my one Mr. Picky child.  But everyone else devoured them and wished for more.  They were really, really good.  The crisp-ness from the roasting, mixed with the flavorful pesto.... this is one I will make often!  (Whenever pesto is around, that is!)  I left the skins on- I love crispy roasted tater skins. 

I cleaned out more meat from the freezer for this meal- we had citrus grilled chicken and steak, these potatoes, fresh pineapple, and corn (was feeling lazy after a day at the pool alone with the kids).  I had the meat marinating overnight, I had cut up the pineapple the night before, made the pesto the night before, and these potatoes were so fast to throw together. 

Tomorrow I'll be 32 weeks pregnant, and with kids' swimming lessons, my husband working on his master's degree and being out of town, and just random summer activities, etc, I haven't been cooking creatively very much anymore.  This meal was one of the first ones I've made in a while that wasn't one of my easy, go-to dinner meals.  (Those include homemade mac and cheese, tomato basil soup, pastas, pancakes or waffles, broccoli cheese soup, etc).  Hopefully things will start to improve soon! 

This recipe is just an estimate.  Use the quantities you want.  I never use a pesto recipe anymore; I just make it using estimates of everything, but if you want a basic one, there is one on this post.  I find a metal baking dish works better than a glass one for roasting potatoes; it seems to come clean WAY easier than glass. 

Roasted Potatoes with Pesto

by What a Dish!

4-6 Yukon Gold or similar potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces (leave the skin on!)

olive oil, about 2 tablespoons

sea salt, to taste

ground black pepper, to taste

prepared basil pesto, 1/4-1/3 cup, to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, and add potatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine.

2.  Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are crispy and slightly browned on the outside but tender on the inside.  Plop a few spoonfuls of pesto onto the potatoes, and gently stir.  Return to the hot oven for about 5 minutes; remove from the oven and stir again to incorporate pesto onto potatoes.  Serve. 

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