A one-handed side dish:
I feel like I’m cooking with one hand a lot these days. I’ve either got a baby in one hand, or I’m using one hand to break up little brother and sister fighting over a toy while I attempt to drizzle olive oil in a pan to get dinner started. You feel me, parents? Enter a side dish that I can make with one hand that everyone loves: pesto roasted potatoes. I always have a jar of pesto in my fridge (sometimes it’s homemade, but most of the time, it’s store-bought), and a bag of baby Yukon golds in the pantry. Quick tip: when you’re grocery shopping, look for the bag of baby potatoes that are all roughly the same size. I aim for ping-pong sized potatoes, because whenever the potatoes are all different sizes, you’ll have to spend time chopping them. Save yourself the time and effort, and grab a bag of all similarly-sized potatoes. Another quick tip: toss the potatoes with the pesto right on the roasting pan. Let’s get as few dishes dirty as possible, so that we have more time for ourselves after baby bedtimes! Just toss the potatoes with the pesto, salt and pepper on the baking sheet, and roast them in the oven. The total roasting time is roughly 20 minutes, but be sure to give the pan a shake half-way through to encourage evenly golden brown potatoes. My favorite part about this recipe is that the potatoes are roasted in pesto, and also topped with fresh pesto right when they come out of the oven. It’s a double pesto situation, and the herby flavors work so well with the potatoes. It’s just addicting! Plus, I love that I can buy a dairy-free pesto if I need to make this for my vegan husband. If you have nut allergies in your family, make your own pesto without nuts and enjoy this pesto roasted potatoes side dish.
Ingredients:
Yukon Gold Potatoes. You need 1 ½ pounds of baby Yukon golds. Aim for a bag of potatoes where most of the potatoes are the same size. I like ping pong-sized potatoes. Any potatoes that are larger than the rest need to be sliced in half. Basil Pesto. You need ¼ cup of pesto; store-bought or homemade both work here. We’re roasting the potatoes in half of the pesto, and then tossing them with the remaining half after cooking for a double pesto hit. Salt and Pepper.
How to make pesto potatoes:
What goes with pesto potatoes?
These potatoes are welcome alongside my Salisbury steak easy, instead of the regular new potatoes. I also love them with my buttermilk chicken tenders or my rosemary lemon chicken thighs, too!
Can you make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can make these pesto roasted potatoes ahead of time, but with a big modification. Roast the potatoes completely, and do not add the last half of the pesto. Cool the potatoes, and store them, tightly wrapped, in the fridge. When ready to serve, add the potatoes back to a hot oven to warm all the way through. Toss with the remaining pesto, and then serve. Other ways to use pesto:
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad Melting Sweet Potatoes Instant Pot Potato Salad
Yukon Gold Potatoes: You need 1 ½ pounds of baby Yukon golds. Aim for a bag of potatoes where most of the potatoes are the same size. I like ping pong-sized potatoes. Any potatoes that are larger than the rest need to be sliced in half.Basil Pesto: You need ¼ cup of pesto; store-bought or homemade both work here. We’re roasting the potatoes in half of the pesto, and then tossing them with the remaining half after cooking for a double pesto hit.
