Roasted Potatoes with Kale Pesto

These potatoes are so delicious you’ll forget that they’re good for you!

A while back, my husband and I realized how much we love kale. It’s one of those veggies, like brussels sprouts, that were almost too scary to try. They seem ominous and a little bit threatening. I mean if they’re that good for you… how could they be tasty? Well I’m sure everyone won’t agree with us on this one, but we love getting down with some kale… especially kale pesto!

When I was working at Whole Foods I discovered three or four kale salads from the prepared foods department that really turned me onto kale, and it didn’t take long before Brian was on that healthy leaf train right along with me. We’ve played around with lots of different kale salads and sides, but one of our favorite kale recipes (that our son will actually eat) is my Kale Pesto. It’s absolutely delicious! The raw leaves are simply pureed along with garlic, oil, nuts, and cheese to make an easy sauce that works with almost anything. We put it all over noodles, of course, and our other favorite way to use the pesto is like a condiment on sandwiches. The pasta and paninis have been awesome, but we’re always trying to think of new ways to use up our kale pesto.

The other week the idea for these roasted kale pest potatoes hit me, and now it seems like such an obvious one. I had a jar of kale pesto hanging out in the fridge from a pasta night, and I actually thought of tossing the potatoes in it as they were roasting in the oven. It worked out beyond great! Pesto is an uncooked sauce, so I think it’s nice to keep it that way. I have a feeling these would still be tasty if you coated the potatoes in pesto pre-roasting, but I really think the flavor of the pesto gets to pop more as a finish.

As for the recipe itself it couldn’t be easier. Large chunks of potato are tossed in kosher salt and olive oil, and roasted to tender, wrinkly skinned perfection. While they’re still hot from the oven simply toss them in a large bowl with a generous amount of the kale pesto. That’s all it takes to enjoy some of the best potatoes ever!

Roasted Potatoes with Kale Pesto Recipe

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Ingredients

3lb red potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup kale pesto

Directions

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2
Wash the potatoes and cut them into roughly 1 1/2 inch chunks. The size of the chunks isn't as important here as making sure that the pieces are a consistent size. So just keep in mind that larger pieces might take a bit longer or a little less time for smaller ones.
Step 3
In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, olive oil, and salt.
Step 4
Spread out into a single layer on a baking sheet, taking the time to flip the cut side downs.
Step 5
Roast about 35 minutes or until fork tender.
Step 6
Toss the potatoes in the large bowl again, this time with as much or little kale pesto as you prefer. I used about 1/4 cup and it coated them perfectly for my personal taste, but feel free to add less or more!