Potatoes are my favorite vegetable. Wait…are potatoes vegetables? I’m not sure. But I am sure that these potatoes are tasty! They’re stuffed with lots of garlic. Garlic makes everything taste good. Everything.We served these with homemade pesto, which is another favorite. Traditional basil pesto was our go-to pesto in the past, but surprisingly spinach cashew pesto is really delicious too. Who knew!? We’ve eaten this pesto atop chicken and pasta as well and it’s great! Buy a big bag of fresh spinach and make a large batch. Just freeze the pesto in individual containers and defrost for quick weeknight meals. This post has a lot of pictures so let’s get to it!
Here’s what you’ll need for the potatoes
Slice the potatoes leaving room at the base
Thinly slice the garlic
Insert garlic between the layers, you may need to shove them in
Season with salt and pepper
Drizzle with olive oil
Top with a thin pad of butter
Roast in the oven, 1 hour
While those cook, start the pesto. Here’s what you’ll need
Throw spinach, cheese, cashews and lemon juice in the food processor
Oops! Don’t forget the lemon zest
Let the food processor do the work. Slowly add olive oil
When it’s smooth, taste and season with salt and pepper
This pesto is perfect for the potatoes or anything you can think of!
Top potatoes and serve.
IngredientsFor the Potatoes:4 russet potatoes (we used 6 red potatoes)1 garlic clove per potato2 tablespoons unsalted butter3 tablespoons olive oilcoarse sea salt and pepperDirectionsPreheat oven to 425 degrees F. Thinly slice garlic cloves. Set aside.Rinse and scrub potatoes well. Slice into the potatoes but not completely through them. Slice potatoes, creating very thin rounds connected at a base. Slide garlic slices in between potato slices. You might actually need to shove them in. Just be careful not to tear the bottom.Place potatoes on a baking sheet and generously sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper. Top each potato with a thin pad of butter and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 1 hour, or until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Remove the pan about every 15 minutes to baste potatoes in the oil and butter, this will make them crispy and flavorful. When cooked through, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Top with spinach cashew pesto and serve.IngredientsFor the Spinach Cashew Pesto:2 loosely packed cups of spinach2 garlic cloves¼ cup roasted cashews2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice½ teaspoon lemon zest1/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheesesalt and pepper to taste1/3 cup olive oilDirectionsPlace garlic cloves, spinach, nuts, lemon juice, lemon zest and Romano cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until spinach is broken down and, while still blending, slowly pour in the olive oil. Turn off food processor, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve over potatoes…or pasta!Source: slightly adapted from Joy the Baker