Potato Gratin with a Pea, Mint & Pine Nut Pesto

Potato Gratin with a Pea, Mint & Pine Nut Pesto

serves 4 cooks in 1hr difficulty two

I don’t often cook with normal potatoes, but I do absolutely love them. Baked in the oven stuffed with garlicky mushrooms, roasted in coconut oil and rosemary or mashed with caramelised onions – they are a cheap, delicious, versatile food that when cooked well are great for you too. This recipe is my favourite way to eat potatoes in the summer – a potato gratin with a Pea, Mint & Pine nut Pesto. The Potatoes are creamed with coconut, which to most (me included) initially sounds a little off putting. However this coconut cream is mixed with vegetable stock to make a thick creamy well seasoned sauce, complimenting the potatoes perfectly. The Pesto adds the fresh element, and is a complete feast for the eyes. I’m so obsessed with this pesto I’ve been keeping jars of it in the fridge, to put in avocado boats or over brown rice pasta. This recipe is such a crowd pleaser, and the perfect thing to bring along to a summer picnic.

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The Ingredients

6 large potatoes

1/3 cup coconut cream

1 cup vegetable stock (2 teaspoon bouillon powder + 1 cup hot water)

1 large red onion

PEA, MINT & PINE NUT PESTO:

1 cup peas

1 cup pine nuts, roasted

1 large handful of mint

1 large handful of parsley

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of olive oil

 

 

Method

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees celsius.

Mince your onion, and peal your potatoes. Chop the potatoes into thin slivers.

Add a drizzle of olive or coconut oil to your pan. Add in the onions and sauté for 5 minutes until caramelised. Now add in the potatoes and a further drizzle of oil. Keep sautéing the potatoes for around 10 minutes until they are quite soft.

Mix 2 teaspoons of bouillon powder with 1 cup boiling water and add into the pan. Add in the coconut cream and continue to stir. Leave for another 5 minutes.

Pour the potatoes and sauce into a dish and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes with the foil covering the top and 15 with the foil off.

Meanwhile make the pesto. Add in a little oil to your pan and add the peas, crushed garlic and pine nuts. Sauté until the peas are soft and the pine nuts are nicely toasted. Pour all of this mix into a blender or food processor and add in the oil, parsley and mint. Process until nice and smooth (or a little chunky, depending on your preference!).

When the potatoes are cooked, plate up and serve, being generous with your dollops of pesto.

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