Potatoes are a staple food for the Greek diet. Even if there is rice on the table, we may still offer potatoes also. There are so many ways to prepare potatoes, that sometimes, it is hard to decide which method to use. We often roast the potatoes with lemon and oregano, but today we wanted something a little different; so we decided to use a tomato sauce as the backdrop of this potato dish.
The tomato sauce with the potatoes will make just the right side dish for our family today. We like kokkinisto (foods in a smooth tomato sauce) and we like yiahni (foods in a chunky tomato sauce), so why not tomato sauce on potatoes?
This will take about 15 minutes to assemble, and takes about one hour in the oven. If this is your choice as a side dish, then you can get it in the oven while you prepare something else. It is that simple, and needs little attention.
For this recipe, you will need:
about 6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 cup or so of tomato sauce
some water
4 TBSP oil
salt and cinnamon to taste
1 onion, chopped
Our first thing to mention is that we did not have large potatoes today. But this recipe, as with any kind of oven-roasted potatoes can be made with large, small, or any size of potatoes. For today's dish we had small new potatoes available to us to use.
Cut the potatoes, preferably into wedges. We did not peel ours because they are small new potatoes with a very thin skin. Let's also not forget that the skin has many nutrients! We did, however, wash the potatoes well. And, we also chose to cut them into halves since they were so small in the first place. Put the potato pieces in a large mixing bowl.
Now, in that bowl, add the chopped onions, tomato sauce, salt and cinnamon. You want to add everything to the bowl except the water and oil. Keep that for a later step. Mix well to ensure that all the potatoes are coated well with the tomato and spices.
Now, add some olive oil. We add enough to circle the bowl two times. It seems like enough oil to lightly coat the potatoes, but not enough to saturate the tomato sauce with oil.
Now, add some water. You need about 1/2 cup or so (about 125 mL), but will need to add more before putting it in the oven (see next step). Mix well so all the potatoes are evenly coated and covered with sauce.
Once it is all mixed well, pour this into a glass baking dish. Add more water until the water level in the baking dish just covers the top of most of the potatoes. It is okay for some of the potatoes to stick out. Remember, if you add too much water, the potatoes will be soggy and wet when they are cooked. If you don't add enough, the potatoes will not have that creamy yum that they usually get in the oven. Make sure that everything is well distributed in the baking dish.
Bake at 350° F (about 175° C) for about 1 hour until the potatoes are soft and the colour on top is a golden baked colour and the water has mostly evaporated. You want to make sure there is still some liquid in the potatoes, and you may need to add water through the baking process to make sure there is enough. If you find that there is not enough, then add a little boiling water at the end and mix carefully before serving. Serve these potatoes hot and enjoy.
We liked these potatoes a lot. They were easy enough to make and even easier to eat. The creaminess of the potatoes really balanced the tanginess of the tomato sauce. The one adjustment we would make for the next time is to add a little more cinnamon. There was just the slightest hint of cinnamon, but we wanted more, so we would increase from a pinch of cinnamon to a full teaspoon or two. We also may cut the onions in a different shape for variety. Sliced onions would look more appealing on the dish, so we will consider that adjustment, also. Overall, this was a great addition to our meal. We would not hesitate to make this again and again, and we believe that this recipe will be well received by most people (unless you don't like cinnamon with a savoury dish). In fact, we liked it so much that members of our family suggested that we make it again for Easter Sunday with our lamb dishes.
"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as if everything depended on you."
St. Augustine
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