Roasted Potatoes with Olives & Peppers

Ingredients

We were lucky enough to make this gorgeous rustic dish in an outdoor wood-burning pizza oven, but it works beautifully in a conventional oven.  The recipe scales easily to feed larger groups, just be sure to increase the size of your pan so that contents can be roasted in a more-or-less single, shallow layer.

The gold and purple of the peppers and potatoes, roasting together with the deep purple/black of the olives are reminiscent of a Tuscan landscape.  Use a glazed terra-cotta roaster if you have one - so beautiful!  Delicious hot, at room temperature, or served cold on a warm day.

This dish pairs beautifully with any Mediterranean-inspired protein, but is more than a meal in itself.  Leftovers can be rough-chopped and rolled in lettuce leaves (vegan/gluten-free) or traditional unleavened wrap.

• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 each large yellow and purple bell peppers (or colours of choice),
• 1 small-medium yellow or sweet onion
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 1 cup of medium, brined, pitted black olives, rinsed
• excellent quality, extra virgin olive oil like Domenica Fiore
• salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon small brined capers, rinsed (optional)
• 1 tablespoon DM Italian Spice Blend (optional). Italian Seasoning not recommended.
• 1/2 teaspoon white truffle butter (optional)

This is a vegetarian dish, but can be adapted as a meat main simply by adding cooked Chorizo or Italian sausages (cut on the bias into 3cm/1.5 inch lengths), shaved prosciutto or parma ham, even large chunks of seared tuna during the last 10 minutes in the oven.  An additional bit of olive oil and a good stir required.  Non vegetarians may enjoy a shaving or two of pecorino cheese as a final garnish.

Methodology

Preheat oven to 350F.  Wash the potatoes but leave the gorgeous, vitamin-rich skin on and cut into rustic chunks (3cm/1.5inch).  Core and seed the peppers and cut into similar size chunks. Peel the onion and cut into rustic chunks then pull each chunk apart into two or three smaller pieces. Peel and thinly slice the garlic.  Leave olives whole unless they are large, then tear or cut them in half lengthwise.

Toss all ingredients into a shallow glazed or enamel roaster or casserole dish. Add capers if using.  Stir ingredients, streaming olive oil as you go, just to coat evenly.  Season with salt and pepper and DM Italian Spice Blend if using, then place in hot oven.  Stir occassionally for 20-30 minutes (depending on age and type of potato) so that all surfaces have a chance to turn a gorgeous light caramel colour, turning the heat up to 400F for the last 5-10 minutes if desired, to colour more deeply. Remove from the oven and, if using truffle butter, stir it through now to incorporate.

Transfer to a heated serving dish, or bring to the table as-is and place on a trivet. This dish pairs beautifully with any Mediterranean-inspired protein, but is more than a meal in itself.

Leftovers can be rough-chopped and rolled in lettuce leaves (vegan/gluten-free) or traditional whole wheat wrap.  Suggested wine pairing: Pinot Grigio

Submitted by:

Danny Ferraro