Matt and I were in the mood for a good steak on Sunday night and I was so sick of all our normal sides that we usually eat with steak. So I whipped open some cookbooks and found a couple super easy and very tasty sides! I’m honestly not a huge tomato person and I only eat really good ones and I only certain times. These pesto roasted tomatoes are dynamite!! I’m actually not a huge potato person either although I love a good sweet potato, but these little red potatoes smashed are so good. They get nice and crispy in the hot oven and I love the fresh parmesan on top. Next time you are looking to cook a good piece of meat at home, these need to be your side dishes! Of course they are both from the Barefoot Contessa once again…
Roasted Pesto Tomatoes
By: Ina Garten
2 to 2½ pounds large red tomatoes
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For the Pesto if you want to make it homemade:
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Core the tomatoes and then slice them across (not through the stem) in ½-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, 1½ teaspoons salt, and the pepper.
Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, spread each slice with pesto, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return the tomatoes to the oven and continue baking for 7 to 10 minutes, until the Parmesan is melted and begins to brown. Using a flat metal spatula, put the tomatoes on a serving platter, sprinkle with extra salt, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
For the Pesto: Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is puréed. Add the Parmesan and purée for a minute. Use immediately or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Parmesan and Chive Smashed Potatoes
By Ina Garten
Ingredients
1 pound potatoes mixed small yukon gold and red new potatoes, scrubbed
kosher salt
black pepper freshly ground
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
2 tablespoons chives fresh, minced — I used green onions
fleur de sel or sea salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 17 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain the potatoes and place on a sheet pan. With a potato masher or metal measuring cup, press each potato until it’s about ½ inch thick ( they will be messy). Toss the potatoes with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper.
Roast the potatoes for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until the skins have become nicely browned. Sprinkle the potatoes with the Parmesan cheese and roast for another 2 to 3 minutes, just until the cheese melts. Sprinkle the potatoes with the chives and fleur de sel and serve hot.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!!
Don’ forget to link up with Natalie and I this week for our first Thoughts for Thursday link-up party of the year!! We are excited to get back into the swing of things and I feel certain everyone has some good thoughts going on for the start of a fresh new year!! I can’t wait to hear them all. Grab a button below to add to your post and link back to each of us!
Both of those sound so yummy! I got the new Ina cookbook for Christmas and those smashed potatoes definitely caught my eye!
These look delish. Ina Garten can do no wrong!!
Both of these recipes look so good. I'd eat pretty much anything with pesto on it and the potatoes look super easy and fresh.
And my mouth is now watering!! So delicious girl! xo, Biana
Yum! These look good! I heart Ina.
These both sound amazing. As a vegetarian I'm all about good sides ;).
both of these are a must try for me!
Sarah
coffeeandglitter14.blogspot.com
Girl, you have the best recipes! I'm always looking for new side dishes to try so I'm saving this! YUM!
I just so happen to have a bag of red potatoes I'm planning on using tonight, I couldn't decide between mashed or roasted, now I'm making smashed haha! Thanks for the idea, I've had something similar pinned for a while but always forget about it. Your whole meal looks fabulous!
those potatoes look sooo good! xo jillian – cornflake dreams
The pesto tomatoes looks so good but Theo hates both of those with a passion, ugh!! He does love smashed potatoes though! Looks yummy!
Ally – Life as I know it
Those sides look so good!!