Crispy smashed potatoes with broad bean pesto
This recipe is a great side dish for barbecues and picnics, as it’s fresh, vibrant and summery. Making the pesto requires a little patience as podding the beans takes time, but can be done whilst you cook the potatoes, or just skip the double podding if you don’t mind a slight bitter taste. The combination of this pesto with crispy, fluffy crushed potatoes is difficult to beat, but don’t let this stop you trying it with pasta or on a crusty piece of bread, which is equally good.
Cook's notes
Smaller potatoes are best for this, i.e new potatoes or jersey royals, but you can use any white potatoes. Larger varieties will just take longer to cook.
Veg Hack: Smashed potatoes and broad bean pesto
This recipe is a great side dish for barbecues and picnics, as it’s fresh, vibrant and summery. Making the pesto requires a little patience as podding the beans takes time, but can be done whilst you cook the potatoes, or just skip the double podding if you don’t mind a slight bitter taste.
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 1kg new potatoes, scrubbed
- Oil, for roasting
For the pesto:
- 750g broad beans in their pods, shelled
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 30g basil
- 40g pine nuts, or other nut of choice
- 25g Parmesan, grated, or vegetarian cheese of choice
- juice of ½ lemon
- 125ml olive oil
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Add the potatoes to a large pan with a pinch of salt. Cover with boiling water and boil for 15-20 minutes or until tender and a knife easily slides in. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, in another pan of boiling water, add the broad beans and simmer for 4 minutes. Tip into a colander, refresh under cold water and drain. You can use the beans like this, but if you prefer a sweeter taste individually peel the outer skin (this is called double podding).
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Step 3
Oil a baking tray and add the boiled potatoes. Use the base of a glass to crush them. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes, flipping hallway through, until golden brown and crisp around the edges.
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Step 4
To make the pesto, add the garlic, basil, nuts, cheese and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Then add the broad beans and the oil and blend until the mixture comes together and reaches your desired texture. Season to taste and set aside.
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Step 5
Transfer the potatoes to a serving plate and top each one with a generous dollop of pesto.