I never tire of simple Italian recipes because they’re based on fresh ingredients and proven flavor combinations. These oven potatoes (patate al forno) are as simple as can be, but they deliver on flavor like nothing else. They happen to be vegan without any special modifications, as so many Italian dishes are.
To make these tasty potatoes you peel and then slice the taters thin, like you would for scalloped potatoes. But, instead of a creamy sauce, this recipe calls for the potatoes to be layered with caramelized onions and mushrooms.
You need to let these potatoes bake until the top gets just a little golden. However, you will most likely need to cover the potatoes part way through cooking to avoid over-browning them.
You’ll also need some generous sprinkles of salt and pepper for this dish, as well as a little bit of fresh parsley to finish it off. While there’s no butter or dairy in this dish, you wouldn’t go amiss if you were to spread some grated parmesan on top as soon as they come out of the oven. But, these potatoes are so tasty that this certainly isn’t required.
A versatile potato dish like this one goes with just about any food from beef to fish to salad. The hearty mushrooms in this layered potato casserole make it feel very substantial and almost meaty, a fact you can play on if you don’t intend to serve any meat alongside this.
For a tasty and filling side dish these patate al forno hit the spot and are incredibly easy to whip up any old time.
Patate al Forno
Diet: Vegan Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook with minimal stirring until mushrooms are browned on the edges, about 6 minutes. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir. Remove from heat.
- Boil potatoes in heavily salted water for 5 minutes and then drain.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Layer potatoes with fried onions and mushrooms in 7”x11” baking dish, adding salt, pepper, and garlic powder to each layer. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with foil. Bake for another 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are golden on top. Garnish with parsley to serve.
Recipe adapted from PTT Recipes .