Ottolenghi’s Roasted Potatoes with Aioli and Buttered Pine Nuts is everything! If side dishes tasted this good, then I don’t need a main dish
Books and Yotam Ottolenghi
With technology rapidly evolving, I really love that bookstores still exist because my nerdy side loves reading an actual book rather than a digital one! We don’t have any video stores anymore, as we sadly watched them close one by one. When we were little, my brothers often drove us to our local ‘Video Ezy’ store on Friday evenings. We loved browsing VHS movies to watch during our weekends. Gosh, I feel so old, and one day have to explain to my toddler Kai what VHS is!
Anyway, a few weeks ago, I was in my local bookstore browsing for new books for Kai when I then got distracted by Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks. Impulsively, I grabbed 3 different cookbooks by Yotam and headed to the register. Then I thought about Tomi, my husband would tease me about being a book hoarder, so I only bought one book.
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi charmed the socks off me when I saw him guest-starring in a few episodes of MasterChef Australia. He seemed honestly sweet and genuine, but I never heard of him. Yotam made such a good impression on me that I Googled him straight after the show. Since then, he’s everywhere, and the world has fallen in love with him.
The book I ended up purchasing was ‘Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love‘ by Noor Murad and Yotam. After quickly flipping through the book, I stopped at the Roasted Potatoes with Aioli and Buttered Pine Nuts and knew I had to make it!
Easily one of the best potato dishes I’ve ever had!
After scrolling through the ingredients list, I knew I would enjoy the flavours in Ottolenghi’s Roasted Potatoes with Aioli and Buttered Pine Nuts, but I did not expect to love LOVE it!
It seriously was a challenge to photograph this dish because I unconsciously ate one potato after the other. If Tomi didn’t interrupt and claimed his share, I would’ve finished the dish off myself and licked the plate clean.
Here is my adapted version of Ottolenghi’s dish. I’ve slightly amended his recipe to make it a little easier. I cheated a little and used whole egg mayonnaise with yogurt for the sauce instead of making it from scratch. This was partially due to me being lazy, but mostly because I currently don’t own a proper food processor.
We have some more side dishes for you!
I placed an online order with Myer (a large department store) for a KitchenAid food processor a few weeks ago. When I carried the box in, I thought, ‘wow, this processor is so light’. I ripped the box open in excitement only to discover they had incorrectly shipped me a mini Nespresso machine! Long story short, I still waiting on my new food processor!
So about this dish! Golden roasted baby potatoes on a generous bed of creamy garlicky aioli sauce topped with melted butter, Aleppo peppers and roasted pine nuts.
This starter/side dish is so satisfying that I don’t need a main dish. That’s a huge call, I know, but it’s so darn delicious and filling!
Ingredients for Roasted Potatoes with Aioli
Baby potatoes (new potatoes) – I used baby white potatoes, but most kinds of baby potatoes will work, such as red or royal blue. Try to select potatoes that are approximately the same size, so they’ll cook evenly.
Aleppo pepper flakes are not very spicy, but they add beautiful colour to dishes with lovely smoky and aromatic flavours. I had trouble finding Aleppo pepper (chilli) flakes because they weren’t available in supermarkets or specialty shops, so I ordered mine online. The Aleppo pepper I’ve got is from Turkey but packaged here. If you can’t get a hold of these Aleppo peppers, you can substitute it with smoked paprika.
Parsley oil (optional) – This is mostly for aesthetic purposes. The vibrant green colour is eye-catching and makes this dish pop. If you’re interested, check out how we made our homemade parsley oil recipe.
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How to make Roasted Potatoes with Aioli
Step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F) or 220°C (430°F) for fan-forced ovens.
Put the potatoes into a saucepan with the salt, then cover the potatoes in water by approximately 4cm/1.6in. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, reduce to medium and boil potatoes for 6 minutes or until they’re half-done.
Place the potatoes into a colander to drain out the water, then leave the potatoes in the colander for 10 minutes to allow the steam to dry the potatoes. Pat the potatoes dry with paper towels and place them into a large bowl, then toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are golden.
Whilst the potatoes are roasting, make the Garlic Aioli sauce. Place all the ingredients for the garlic aioli into a food processor and blitz for 10 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then blend for a few more seconds. Transfer the sauce into a small bowl and leave it at room temperature for the flavours to infuse.
When the potatoes have 5 minutes remaining in the oven, start on the buttered pine nuts. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, then place in the pine nuts. Stir-fry the pine nuts until they’re aromatic and golden, then add the Aleppo pepper. Quickly stir, then remove from the heat.
To assemble – Spread the garlic aioli on a large serving plate, then place the potatoes on top of the sauce. Spoon the buttered pine nuts and sauce over the potatoes, then garnish with chopped parsley and parsley oil (if using). Best served immediately whilst the potatoes are warm.
Serving suggestions – Serve as a starter or a side dish. These Roasted Potatoes with Aioli goes amazing with most proteins!
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Roasted Potatoes with Aioli and Buttered Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 800 gm baby potatoes (halved) (NOTE 1)
- 2 tsp salt (for boiling with the potatoes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (light or mild)
- ½ tsp salt
- ground black pepper
For the Garlic Aioli
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ cup whole egg mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
For the buttered pine nuts
- 30 gm unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper flakes (or smoked paprika) (NOTE 2)
Optional garnish
- finely chopped parsley
- parsley oll (NOTE 3)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F) or 220°C (430°F) for fan-forced ovens.Put the potatoes into a saucepan with the salt, then cover the potatoes in water by approximately 4cm/1.6in. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, reduce to medium and boil potatoes for 6 minutes or until they're half-done.
- Place the potatoes into a colander to drain out the water, then leave the potatoes in the colander for 10 minutes to allow the steam to dry the potatoes. Pat the potatoes dry with paper towels and place them into a large bowl, then toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are golden.
- Whilst the potatoes are roasting, make the Garlic Aioli sauce. Place all the ingredients for the garlic aioli into a food processor and blitz for 10 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then blend for a few more seconds. Transfer the sauce into a small bowl and leave it at room temperature for the flavours to infuse.
- When the potatoes have 5 minutes remaining in the oven, start on the buttered pine nuts. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, then place in the pine nuts. Stir-fry the pine nuts until they're aromatic and golden, then add the Aleppo pepper. Quickly stir, then remove from the heat.
- To assemble – Spread the garlic aioli on a large serving plate, then place the potatoes on top of the sauce. Spoon the buttered pine nuts and sauce over the potatoes, then garnish with chopped parsley and parsley oil (if using). Best served immediately whilst the potatoes are warm.
Thank you x 100, 3catsfoodie ! I knew from the instant I read her IG post that it was going to be a winner with us and it was! ?
We had fried chicken wings and kale along with the potatoes and everything just worked so well together. The aioli, ooh …I just don’t have enough superlatives –SO, SO good!
Hi Buckeroomama,
I don’t think I’ve told you how much I love your username! One of my favs for sure 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to leave this amazing feedback. I’m ecstatic you enjoyed this dish as much as I did. The easy aioli sauce is definitely a winner! Hearing you served this with fried chicken made me hungry!
Appreciate your support x