Roasted Baby Potatoes with Toasted Pistachios Romesco Sauce
Well, I have to admit this is more recipe-like than what I had in mind when I started the “Not-even-a-recipe section”. But, two things made me share this Romesco sauce recipe with you here: first, it’s something ridiculously easy to make that still adds a bit of flare to any appetizer or dish; second, after you make this sauce for the first time and understand its basic flavors, you’ll want to play around with the spice, the brininess and the acidity to make it perfect for your dish, and it will eventually be your very own “not-even-a-recipe”! That’s how I ended up with this particular romesco sauce!
Romesco sauce is a raw sauce traditional from Catalonia, Spain, and uses roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes, almonds, sometimes breadcrumbs, some spice elements and some acidic elements as its base. You can imagine how many versions of Romesco are out there, even in Spain. So I can say that if you have these elements and eat the sauce raw, you may call it a Romesco or Romesco inspired sauce.
In my version I used toasted pistachios instead of almonds. I didn’t add any breadcrumbs, mainly because I totally hate soggy bread, and used sun-dried tomato paste as a sweet element to balance out all the spices and the acidity of the tomato sauce. I also sprinkled a few chili flakes but that’s because I love a nice hot kick! If you don’t find or have sun-dried tomato paste, use regular tomato paste and add a pinch of sugar.
This raw sauce is super flavorful and goes wonderful with grilled or broiled fish or veggies. One time I made a baked manchego and served it in a board with simple water crackers, olives and chorizo Cantimpalo. This time, I roasted these adorable baby potatoes that I found while grocery shopping. The combination was explosive and so delicious! If you’ve never had Romesco, this is the way to start!
I strongly suggest that you make the sauce in advance to chill. At least 30 minutes should be enough to marry all the flavors. And this sauce will keep in your fridge well for months, thanks to all the vinegar, salt and spices.
Below you’ll find how to make this Romesco sauce. Remember that this is your base. You can play around with the ration depending on your taste or what you want to do with the sauce. I made this batch before the potatoes and placed it in the fridge while the potatoes were roasting. I made some sautéed shrimp and sautéed asparagus for a quick but still scrumptious weeknight dinner. This kind of meal is what’s all about in my kitchen!
How to make my Toasted Pistachios Romesco sauce
What you’ll need:
◯ Large roasted bell pepper - 1 (about 1 to 1 ½ cup of chopped pieces)
◯ Garlic clove, smashed - 1 (or ¼ to ½ Tsp of ground garlic)
◯ Toasted pistachios - ½ cup roughly chopped (you can toast raw pistachios in a small skillet for 5 to 7 minutes, revolving almost constantly until fragrant)
◯ Tomato purée or strained tomato sauce - ¼ cup
◯ Sun dried tomato paste - 1 TBSP, or regular tomato paste and a pinch of sugar
◯ Flat leaf parsley (Italian Parsley) -2 TBSP
◯ Sherry vinegar - 2 TBSP
Smoked paprika - 1 Tsp
◯ Chili powder or cayenne pepper - ¼ Teaspoon
◯ Chili flakes - ¼ Teaspoon
◯ A good pinch of salt
◯ Extra virgin olive oil - ½ cup
In a blender mix all the ingredients except the olive oil. Mix until everything is well grinded and incorporated. You’ll probably need to stop the mixer and scrape the wall and the bottom of the jar a few times to make sure the blades are picking all the ingredients. The sauce will start turning a bright orange-y red. When you reach that point pour the olive oil through the lid opening with the blender running until the oil is well emulsified. Transfer to a small jar or bowl and place in the fridge.
If you want to make these super creamy and tender roasted baby potatoes
To make the baby potatoes, preheat oven to 425° and cut the potatoes in half. Then simply mix about 2 ½ pounds of baby potatoes with about a tablespoon of olive oil (this should be enough!), a few drops of lemon juice if you have some (this will keep them bright) and sprinkle plenty of fine sea salt, about ¼ of teaspoon or a bit more.
Roast for about 25 minutes, until they look golden and their skin looks crispy. You should have a few burnt spots on the surface of some of the potatoes and that’s more than OK! Serve with the Romesco sauce, and sprinkle black pepper, fresh thyme leaves or fresh finely chopped parsley leaves, crushed pistachios and sea salt flakes on top if desired before serving.
