Golden, crispy roasted potatoes with sun-dried tomato pesto & creamy burrata cheese. The pesto is slightly sweet, rich in flavor, and has a really bright tang to it that goes so well with the potatoes and burrata. It’s a stunning, flavorful side dish that would make any weeknight meal more exciting, or you can save it for your next dinner party!
key elements for perfectly roasted potatoes
The roasted potatoes are the base for this dish. They’re so versatile and can really take on any flavor you give them through sauces, toppings, and creative ingredients. But first, it’s important to know a few key elements for achieving potatoes that’re perfectly golden & crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- I highly recommend fingerling potatoes for roasting. They’re really easy to work with (no peeling required due to their thin skin and their size makes them a breeze to cut). Plus, they have the ability to form a crispy exterior with a nice creamy texture inside.
- Cut the larger-width potatoes in quarters and the smaller-width potatoes in half so they all have roughly the same thickness to them on the sheet pan.
- Coat the potatoes in a very generous amount of olive oil. The oil helps the exterior become golden and crisp.
- Arrange the potatoes in an even layer with the cut-side down (this flat side is optimal for crisping when it has direct contact with the sheet pan).
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. If the potatoes are on top of eachother, they’ll steam and have trouble browning. Each potato needs a smidge of space on all sides in order to crisp.
- Roast at a high temperature (I’ve found 425°F to be ideal) undisturbed. If you start moving them around, the crispy exterior won’t form.
sun-dried tomato pesto – the details
While the potatoes are roasting, you’ll make the sun-dried tomato pesto. I like to start this on the stove by simply sauteing a shallot and some garlic to soften and deepen their flavors. Stirring in red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and tomato paste over the heat for just a minute or so will allow these ingredients to become more fragrant and intense.
This mixture gets combined with the sweet sun-dried tomatoes (it’s important that they’re packed in olive oil so they’re soft and plump; the infused olive oil also gives the pesto extra flavor), toasted almonds, pecorino cheese, fresh basil, lemon juice, and a drizzle of honey. Blitzed up with olive oil streamed in until a vibrant red pesto is formed.
It’s rich, punchy, bright, and full of texture…the perfect sauce to toss the hot potatoes in.
After tossing, you can plate the roasted potatoes up and serve the extra sun-dried tomato pesto alongside if anyone wants another dollop or two (any pesto that doesn’t get eaten can be stored in the fridge for another use, maybe served with a pan-roasted ribeye).
The finishing touch? Creamy burrata cheese torn right over top! It’s fresh, creamy flavor is the perfect contrast to the rich potatoes and vibrant pesto.
PrintRoasted Potatoes with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto & Burrata
golden, crispy roasted fingerling potatoes tossed with sun-dried tomato pesto and served with creamy burrata cheese
servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs fingerling potatoes, halved or quartered lengthwise
- kosher salt
- 2 tbsp + ½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (8 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 (8 oz) ball burrata cheese
- flaky sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the potatoes onto a half sheet pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes out into an even layer, cut-side down. Season with a good pinch of salt. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and tender.
- Meanwhile, heat a 10” skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the shallot. Season with a pinch of salt and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened and slightly caramelized. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Cook for a final minute before turning off the heat. Let cool slightly.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes (along with all of the oil in the jar) to a food processor. Pour in the shallot mixture. Wipe out the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the almonds. Toast for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Season with a pinch of salt. Add half of the almonds to the food processor. Set the rest aside.
- Lastly, add the pecorino, basil, lemon juice, and honey to the food processor. Pulse until combined. With the processor running, slowly stream in the remaining ½ cup of olive oil until incorporated. Season with salt to taste.
- Once the potatoes are done roasting, let sit on the sheet pan for a minute or so. Then, use a metal spatula to transfer them to a mixing bowl. Add about 1 cup of the sun-dried tomato pesto and toss to coat.
- Arrange the potatoes on a serving plate. Break the burrata into pieces and place over top. Season the burrata with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper (for more heat, you could also sprinkle on a pinch of red pepper flakes). Garnish with basil leaves and the reserved almonds. Serve the remaining pesto alongside.
Notes
For cutting the potatoes, cut the larger-width potatoes in quarters and the smaller-width potatoes in half so they all have roughly the same thickness to them on the sheet pan.
This was one of the most delicious things I have cooked in several weeks. My husband and I tried to save some for lunch the next day but we did not succeed because we couldn’t stop eating it! The pesto is so flavorful and rich and pairs so perfectly with the crispy potatoes and creamy burrata. Love this recipe!!!
really nice flavors in this dish and a great excuse for me to have some potatoes (I generally avoid them) but worth the carb load for this dish, and especially with burrata, one of my favorites, thank you!