These crushed roasted pesto potatoes are really easy to make, and a fantastic way of making the classic roast potato a little more summery! Made with fresh basil, these are a fantastic side dish for summer get-togethers.

This recipe was all the more delicious because it was made with potatoes that I dug up from our allotment, and from fresh basil that I’ve grown from seed and is now thriving on my windowsill.

Living off the fat o’ the land, indeed, y’all!

Now, I’m a potato lover any time of the year. Doesn’t matter if it’s freezing cold outside or scorching hot: you offer me potatoes for dinner, I’m going to say yes.

This recipe just makes the classic roast potato that bit more summer-friendly thanks to the addition of a fresh basil pesto with heaps of lemon juice and pine nuts to add flavour.

Recipes that will go great with these pestopotatoes:

How to make crushed roasted pesto potatoes

Before roasting these potatoes, we’re going to par-boil them to ensure they’re super soft and fluffy.

Chop your potatoes into chunks (you can definitely peel them if you prefer – the skins don’t bother me and it’s less work not to peel them so I don’t!), then par boil in a saucepan of water with a pinch of baking soda for about 10 minutes.

This is a must for extra crispy, fluffy roast potatoes. Once they’re par-boiled, drain, then tip back in the pan, place the lid on, and shake to fluff up the potatoes for about 10 seconds.

Tip the potatoes out onto a baking tray and coat with olive oil and some salt. Roasted for about 35 minutes, before lightly crushing and spooning over some of your home made pesto, then roasting for another 10 minutes.

Fresh basil pesto

To make the pesto, all you need to do is combine fresh basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper (I like lots of black pepper!), pine nuts, and garlic with a little water. You could add more olive oil but since the potatoes are roasted in oil I prefer to stick to no oil.

Make sure you taste your pesto and adjust as you need to suit your preferences!

Easy Crushed Pesto Potatoes

Name: Easy Crushed Pesto Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 400g medium potatoes; 0.5 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda); 2 tbsp olive oil; Handful (~20g) basil; 1 tsp minced garlic; Juice of half a lemon; Salt & Pepper; 10g pine nuts; 1 tbsp water

Yield: 2 - 3 portions

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Crispy crushed roasted potatoes with a delicious fresh basil pesto. This is such an easy summer recipe and the perfect twist on roast potatoes.

Ingredients

400g medium potatoes
0.5 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
2 tbsp olive oil
Handful (~20g) basil
1 tsp minced garlic
Juice of half a lemon
Salt & Pepper
10g pine nuts
1 tbsp water

Instructions

Chop the potatoes into chunks (I didn't peel mine but this is up to you), and par-boil in a saucepan of water with the baking soda for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C
Drain, then place the potatoes back in the saucepan, place the lid on, and vigorously shake for 10 seconds to really fluff up the potatoes.
Place the potatoes on a baking tray with the olive oil and some salt, and make sure they're fully coated in the oil.
Roast for 35 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, make your pesto. Blend the basil, lemon juice, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper, and water - add more of any ingredient to suit your tastes.
After 35 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven and lightly crush them with a potato masher. Don't press so hard that the potatoes explode and turn into mashed potato - just enough to flatten them out. Then, spoon 1 - 2 tbsp of the pesto over the potatoes, stir to coat and place back in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, dish up, and drizzle over the remaining pesto.

Notes

These crushed pesto potatoes keep well in the fridge, but I would save drizzling over the pesto until you are ready to serve.