Creamer Potatoes with Red Pepper Cashew Pesto

Name: Creamer Potatoes with Red Pepper Cashew Pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients: 2 roasted bell pepper (chopped (see How to: Roast a Bell Pepper)); 3 tablespoons raw unsalted cashews; 1 garlic clove (chopped); 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 pounds Terrific Trio (or other Little Potato Company creamer potatoes); minced flat-leaf parsley (for garnish)

Aug 31, 2015 by Dara 37 Comments

Creamer potatoes get all dressed up with an easy, knock-your-socks-off red pepper and cashew pesto. It’s the perfect side dish for any occasion! Thank you to The Little Potato Company for helping me to share this recipe with you.

You know you’ve hit the recipe jackpot when one son abandons his soccer ball juggling marathon, the other son puts down his Nerf guns and your husband takes a hiatus from his relaxation time in the backyard…all to crowd around the kitchen table to snack on a pan of potatoes. Good food truly does have the power to bring people together, and I always insist that the food doesn’t need to be anything complicated. As long as it tastes great, looks good and is made with a pinch of love, it can put a smile on anyone’s face with a single bite.

So, what’s the secret to this recipe?

Even though my family is obsessed with all-things-pesto, something that is known by all of our friends and family who have been fed a bowl of pesto pasta at our house, this easy side dish is not just about the pesto. The natural sweetness of the Creamer potatoes that we used seeped through the smoky, garlicky flavor of the roasted bell pepper pesto, hitting every taste sense and making us crave “just one more bite”.

For this recipe, I used the Little Potato Company’s Terrific Trio Creamer potatoes, but any of their Creamer varietals (Blushing Belles, Baby Boomers, Dynamic Duo and so on) would work. The potatoes in the Terrific Trio are just so darn pretty to look at, with their array of red, yellow and blue, and I knew they would be a feast for the eyes as much as the mouth when I mixed in the pesto.

Potatoes may be the most universally grown crop, but these Creamer potatoes are grown in Canada and the United States, and The Little Potato Company does not genetically modify their products. When I first saw these potatoes, I thought, “Huh…these are just new potatoes like what my Mum used to serve.” Actually, other small potatoes are immature babies, harvested long before they are able to develop their flavor, which is why they’re often called baby potatoes. Instead, these Creamers are bred to be small and are harvested at their peak of maturity. That explains the buttery texture and the natural sweetness. And believe me, it makes a difference in how they taste!

So, how did I make this recipe? The first step is to make the pesto. I always roast my own peppers (see How to: Roast a Bell Pepper), but the store-bought jarred variety will also work. Throw the peppers in the bowl of a food processor, along with some raw cashews, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Give it a few pulses, then slowly pour in the olive oil while the food processor is running. Voila…pesto!

If you’re strong in the multi-tasking department, boil the potatoes while making the pesto. They just take about 15 minutes to become tender. Once cooked and drained, throw the potatoes into a a skillet with the warmed pesto. That’s it! The perfect side dish in minutes.