vegetable

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

April 18, 2020 by Marisa 38 Comments

Parmesan crusted potatoes with asparagus is a simple and delicious one pan side dish. It features just a few ingredients and can be prepared on any busy weeknight.

My family is a huge potato lover!

Growing up, my mom was never able to prepare enough potatoes to satisfy everyone at family gatherings!

We would often find ourselves wrestling each other at the diner table for her oven roasted potatoes.

So naturally I began to prepare oven roasted potatoes by making sheet pans loaded with our favourite buds. And I usually combine them with some other yummy veggie such as these Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel recipe.

I used a delicious combination of red and yellow little creamer potatoes, this time around. They’re thin skinned, buttery and nutritious and also pair so well with the fresh asparagus.

Although I can make an entire meal out of crispy potatoes, I find that roasted alongside some vibrant green asparagus makes for one remarkable side dish!

You can serve them alongside steak, chicken or even fish.

Or, go vegetarian by topping the roasted vegetables with a fried egg. Yummy!

How To Trim Asparagus

There is no rocket science behind trimming asparagus stalks. And, you probably know this already if you’re a seasoned cook.

However if you’re new to this, it’s really a simple process. All you do is bend the woodsy end of the asparagus spear and it naturally snaps off at its driest point.

You’re left with perfectly tender and juicy asparagus spears ready to be used in your favourite recipe.

Creamer Potatoes

Creamer potatoes are small thin skinned, bite-size baby potatoes anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in size.

They’re buttery in taste with a creamy-like texture making them a cinch to prepare.

I used the red and yellow coloured creamer potatoes for this recipe. However, you can also add the blue coloured ones, should you come across any!

How to Roast Asparagus and Potatoes in the Oven

Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.

This ensures that the potatoes don’t stick to the pan and it’s easy clean up!

Toss the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread them out in a single layer, giving them room to brown and bake for about 20 minutes.

After the initial first 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and flip the potatoes over.

Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper and nestle them between the potatoes in a single layer.

You’ll then return the sheet pan to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes more.

When the asparagus are almost tender, sprinkle the veggies with the grated Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

The cheese will melt and develop a wonderful golden brown crust over the vegetables which will impart another layer of goodness to the veggies. It’ll render them so irresistible!

It’s that simple! And that delicious!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

This recipe for Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus was originally published on April 22, 2016, and updated with new content and photos on April 18, 2020.

Print Recipe

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

These Parmesan crusted potatoes are a healthy and delicious combination of red, yellow and blue Grelot potatoes. The vegetables are oven roasted to a golden brown perfection.

Course: Vegetable

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

Servings:

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small baby potatoes sliced in half
1/2 pound asparagus tips trimmed
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Spread on the prepared baking sheet, in a single layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Using the same bowl, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Remove the pan with potatoes from the oven and flip the potatoes over.
Add the asparagus to the pan and bake along side the potatoes for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden in spots.

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

January 28, 2020 by Marisa 35 Comments

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel, is a simple yet delicious vegetarian dish combining two of my favourite vegetables. This combo makes an excellent side dish to any main meal.

What is Fennel and what can I do with it?

Fennel is a super crisp vegetable that can be eaten raw as is or sliced thinly and tossed in a salad. Such as in this refreshing Fennel and Pomegranate Salad.

I actually love to snack on this slightly sweet vegetable with it’s subtle licorice flavour. In texture it’s much like celery but way more tasty.

All parts of the fennel are edible. From the bulb, the stalks and the fronds which are mostly used as an herb seasoning or garnish.

But did you know that fennel is just as delicious when cooked? When cooked, fennel turns soft and sweeter.

The sweetness of this vegetable pairs beautifully in a spicy tomato sauce, much like my Mussels Linguine with Tomato Fennel Sauce.

However, lately I’ve been loving it roasted alongside the ever so humble potato with a simple drizzle of olive oil and a seasoning of fresh rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. That’s it!

You’ll find these Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel to be quite easy to put together and hardly requires any fuss at all.

Half Your Plate

Every time I combine and cook two vegetables this way, I find it easier to fill half my plate with nutrient-dense foods and at the same time reduce calorie intake!

Also, If you are looking to reduce starchy foods in your diet but adore potatoes like I do, combining them with a non starchy vegetable is a great way of doing so.

I love to use my wavy crinkled cutter when slicing potatoes as the ridges cradle all those delicious flavours.

But you can really slice them any way you want. Just make sure that both the potatoes and fennel are sliced fairly equal in size. This ensures that they cook evenly.

How to prep oven roasted potatoes and fennel

You’ll want to use the largest sheet pan that you have.

Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper that over extends up the sides by an inch. This not only prevents the vegetables from sticking to the sheet pan but it also makes for easy clean up.

Spread the vegetables out in one single layer as much as possible. And if you find yourself with extra potato slices lean them upright against the sides of the pan. The over extended parchment paper will hold them up while allowing you more room to spread out the veggies.

This way both the potatoes and fennel will brown beautifully and crisp up around the edges.

I used an 18 x 12 x 1 inch baking sheet, which is fairly big, any yet a few of the vegetables overlapped just slightly.

Although I could make an entire meal out of these Roasted Potatoes and Fennel recipe, they pair perfectly as a side dish with any red meat, poultry or fish.

I adore this dish served alongside pan or oven roasted salmon!

Whichever way you serve them I’m quite confident you’ll be making them over and over again!

Buon Appetito!

This recipe was originally published November 6, 2016 and republished January 28, 2020 with updated photos and content.

Print Recipe

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel. A simple, delicious vegetarian dish combining two favorite vegetables and makes an excellent side dish to any main meal.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Oven roasted potatoes and fennel

Servings:

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 fennel bulb sliced into 1/2 inch wedges (see note)
2 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary extra springs to nestle between veggies
1 teaspoon fresh thyme extra springs to nestle between veggies
salt and pepper to your taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. (I used an 18x12x1 sheet pan)
Place the sliced potatoes and sliced fennel in a large bowl.
Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to the vegetables.
Toss to combine and then spread them out in one single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
Tuck in a few extra sprigs of rosemary and thyme and drizzle with a teeny bit more olive oil.
Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or just until the potatoes are crispy and the fennel is tender with a rich golden brown colour.
Serve while still warm.
NOTE
Slicing fennel is really quite simple. First start by cutting off the stalks from the bulb (you can reserve the stalks for making soup).
Cut the fennel vertically in half and leave the hard core attached, then slice into 1/2 inch wedges.
Leaving the hard core attached will insure the wedges stay intact.

Nutrition

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Apples

May 31, 2017 by Marisa 27 Comments

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Apples are a perfect medley of sweet and savoury. Combined together, you’ll find they compliment any fish or poultry dish while providing a unique and delicious way of teasing your taste buds.

Roasting potatoes alongside another vegetable or even in this case combined with apples, is my favourite way of serving up the yummy spud.

These distinctive crescent shaped and thin skinned fingerling potatoes are a perfect match with a great baking apple.

The Cortland or Empire apples pair really well here. Or any apple that holds its’ shape when baked will do for that matter.

However I wouldn’t use the McIntosh, as this variety gets mushy and falls apart when roasted.

Look for apples with bright red skins. The bold red colours provide a lovely contrast to the more palish yellow skin of the fingerling potato.

I prefer to keep the seasonings to a few simple ingredients.

Aside from the customary salt and pepper, I added dried organic mountain oregano.

It’s one of the few dried herbs I have on hand and use quite often when making any kind of roast.

You can purchase the dried stalks whole and keep them in plastic air tight bags for months! This way they’ll retain their natural fragrances and compliment many dishes.

All that’s then needed is a generous drizzle of good quality olive oil and a few squirts of fresh lemon juice to make the flavours pop.

Some salt and pepper to your liking!

Make sure not to over crowd the potatoes and apples on the small baking sheet. This way they’ll roast evenly and caramelize beautifully all around!

Add a little love to your next meal with a side dish of Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Apples and enjoy with your family and friends!

Buon Appetito!

Print Recipe

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Apples

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Apples, a perfect medley of sweet and savory and a delicious compliment to fish or poultry.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes sliced in half lengthwise
3 medium red apples cored and cut into wedges ( I used Cortland apples )
2 tablespoons olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice from half a lemon
1 teaspoon dried oregano I used an organic brand
fine sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper (for easy cleanup).
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat all over.
Transfer the potato and apple mix to the prepared sheet pan while spreading them out in a single layer.
You'll want to leave some space between the potatoes and apples so that they roast beautifully.
Roast for about 30 minutes, turning the slices over after 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and enjoy while still warm.

Check out other potato combo side dishes

Chicken and Kale Soup

March 31, 2015 by Marisa 3 Comments

After a busy afternoon running errands, there is nothing more welcoming than a big bowl of home made chicken soup. This soup is chock full of healthy, hearty vegetables. Lots of vitamins in a bowl…yummy!

I always start my soup base with a holy trinity of onion, carrots and celery. It is a wonderful way of building up flavors for your soup. I then add whatever greens I may have on hand, but let me say that kale has become my new favorite leafy green vegetable. Kale is being called, ” the queen of greens” and a “nutritional powerhouse”.

There is really not much effort required in making this soup, except for chopping some vegetables. And it is even more easy with store bought rotisserie chicken. I cut up three quarters of the chicken to use in this soup but you can use the whole chicken if you wish, just increase the amount of liquids to compensate.

Round off this soup with a crispy salad and some crusty bread for a complete meal.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

1 tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic. minced
2 tbls tomato paste (I like to use the concentrated tomato paste that comes in a tube)
1 bunch of kale, chopped (hard stem removed and discarded)
8 cups of chicken broth
3/4 of a cooked rotisserie chicken (skin and bones removed then chopped)
1/2 cup filini or orzo (tiny shaped pasta)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, minced garlic, tomato paste and sauté for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Next add the chopped kale to the pot with salt and pepper to taste and stir till the kale wilts, for about a minute or 2. Pour in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth stirring to release any brown bits then add in remaining broth and the cooked chicken. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil stir in your tiny shaped pasta, reduce heat to low and simmer till noodles are cooked. So Simple:)

Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Simply scarfable!!!!!

Buon Appetito!