Roasted Red Potatoes and Artichokes

The side dishes are just as much a part of the meal as the main entree.  I have as much fun matching my side dishes to the entree as I do cooking the entree and the whole meal.  They all fit together like pieces of a pieces of a puzzle.

When I made my  Parmagiano crusted pork chops Parmagiano Crusted Pork Chops I paired them with some roasted red potatoes, cooked with onions, and artichoke hearts.  I love potatoes of all kinds and I also love artichoke hearts, so what I delicious combination.   This dish is right up my alley.  It is delicious, easy to make and only needs  a few basic ingredients.  Perfect.

The red potato was first cultivated in the mountains of Peru. Spanish explorers then brought the potato with them on returning voyages and introduced it to Europe in the 1560s. When potatoes became popular and spread across Europe, they were also carried to the United States.  Red potatoes are also known as red Pontiac or Dakota Chief potatoes.  These red potatoes originated in the state of Florida, in the United States, but are now available in many other parts of the world too.  They were called red Pontiacs because of the red coloring that was from a color mutation from the original Pontiac potatoes.

 

Roasted Red Potatoes with Artichokes

2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into quarters

2 TBSP olive oil’

2 TBSP fresh thyme

salt & black pepper to taste

1 TBSP garlic

1 onion, medium dice

2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half

1 TBSP paprika

1/2 feta cheese, optional

 

Preheat the oven to 425* F.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and then spray the foil with cooking spray.

 

Mix the potatoes, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil together thoroughly, then spread out onto the foil and place in the oven to roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After roasting the potatoes for the “first” roast, add the artichoke hearts, onions, and garlic and mix thoroughly.  If you like feta cheese, you can add that too at this time as well.  I do not like feta cheese (or any cheese much for that matter), so I did not add any.

Put them back into the oven to continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.  DELICIOUS!  I think I could easily eat the whole pan all at once.  🙂