Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Smashed Potatoes
The most delicious Vegan Oil-free Sun-dried Tomato Pesto with Crispy Smashed Potatoes is bursting with so much flavor and texture! It is a dish you serve to impress your guests and it is totally plant-based and healthy! It is also nut-free!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (53g) sun-dried tomatoes (dried in a bag, not in oil)
- 1 cup of the soaking liquid from the sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons (4g) nutritional yeast (I highly recommend this Sari brand for the best flavor-it is non-fortified with no nasty vitamin taste)
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts (IF ALLERGIC, JUST OMIT)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave (this helps to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 packed cup (15g) fresh basil leaves
- 800g or 1.5 lb bag baby gold potatoes
Instructions
- Tip: You can make the pesto the day before you want to eat these to save time if you like. Add the tomatoes to a bowl and pour boiling water over the top enough to fully submerge them. Soak for 30 minutes to an hour (the longer, the easier to blend) and then drain the soaking liquid into ANOTHER BOWL, not the sink!
- While the tomatoes are soaking, add the potatoes to a large pot filled with water at least 2 inches above the potatoes. Bring to a boil and once boiling, cook 15-20 minutes until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and let cool a bit until you can safely handle them. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- For the pesto, add 1 cup of the soaking liquid to a Vitamix or a food processor. I used my Vitamix for this to get it really smooth. It gets quite thick, so you will need to stop and scrape a couple of times during blending. It works, but just takes several minutes. While I haven't tested with a food processor, I'm sure it would work as well
- Add the soaked tomatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic, pine nuts (if using), maple syrup, red pepper flakes, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and blend, starting on low and increasing speed, until smooth and thick like a pesto, stopping to scrape the sides multiple times until there are no longer chunks of tomato. Refer to photo in post. Once it is pretty smooth and thick, add the basil and process again on slow until it's well incorporated. I blended it over and over until it was nice and smooth, but thick, like in the photo. (It makes 1 1/4 cups pesto)
- Taste the pesto and add more salt if needed and/or syrup if it is too acidic for you.
- Add the potatoes to the pan and mash each one down gently to about 1/2 inch thick, using a spatula (I used a metal spatula). It's ok if some of the edges break up, just push them back together.
- Salt and pepper each potato well. Remember, potatoes need seasoning! If you don't want a strong pepper flavor, add just a small amount.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove the pan and spread about a tablespoon or so of the pesto on top of each potato.
- Turn the oven to broil LOW and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes are getting really golden brown, as pictured. Be careful to watch the parchment paper so that it doesn't get too brown towards the end. Serve immediately!
Notes
Prep time does not include soaking time of the sun-dried tomatoes.