I have rejuvenated two of my oldest recipes for this delight of a dish; roasted courgettes and vegetables dressed in extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, fresh coriander, spring onions, dried mint and pul biber, and a Cypriot-style potato salad, flavours of which are all at the heart of my home. I love the combination of the textures in this dish; caramelised yet jammy courgettes, crunchy on the outside and fluffy yet waxy in the middle pots, nutty sesame seeds, the bite of fresh herbs and alliums, and a light and creamy tahini yoghurt. It’s a really simple one to put together, and works as brilliantly as a summery meze as it does an autumnal and festive dinner party dish. I mean, we’ve even been known to have it for dinner on a random Thursday night, so it works equally good for that too. Versatile and moreish, I hope this will be one dish you’ll pull out again and again, not only to appease your cravings, but to also impress your friends and family with. Fresh crusty bread is a bonus.
Ingredients:
500g waxy potatoes (salad / charlotte / new)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large (250g) courgette
1 tsp dried mint
1 ¼ tsp sea salt flakes
½ tsp coarse black pepper
3 large spring onions
25g fresh coriander
1 large garlic clove
50g tahini
40ml cold water
4 tbsp (60ml) lemon juice
200g very thick natural yoghurt
2 tbsp (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Preheat oven to 210C fan / 220C.
Cut the potatoes into 1.5cm thick rounds (or simply halve the smaller ones), pop them into a saucepan, cover with cold water and add ¼ tsp sea salt flakes. Place the pan on the hob on a medium-high heat, bring the potatoes up to the boil and cook for 15 minutes until they have softened. While the potatoes are boiling, brush 1tbsp of the olive oil onto a baking tray and pop it into the oven to heat up for 10 minutes.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander and shake them around a bit to fluff up the edges.
Slice the courgettes, on the diagonal, into 2cm thick slices. Add the cooked potatoes, and the raw, sliced courgettes to the saucepan you cooked the potatoes in (just make sure the saucepan is completely dry) and drizzle over the remaining 2 tbsp of olive, ½ tsp of the dried mint, ½ tsp of the sea salt flakes and all of the black pepper. Give everything a really good stir, carefully take the tray out of the oven and evenly place the potatoes and courgettes into the tray and pop it back in the oven. Roast the vegetables for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through. If the courgettes are cooking a little faster than the potatoes, then take them out of the oven and leave the potatoes cooking for another few minutes until they are all golden and crispy.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Finely slice the spring onions and finely chop the coriander. Crush and very finely chop the garlic clove so it almost turns into a paste.
Pour the tahini into a bowl (a cereal bowl is a good size for this), add the cold water and whisk vigorously with a fork until smooth and creamy. Squeeze in 2 tbsp of the lemon juice and whisk again, then add ¼ tsp of the sea salt flakes, whisk until smooth and finally whisk in the garlic, ensuring that the tahini is silky smooth. Add the yoghurt to the tahini and fold and stir until fully combined and thick and creamy.
Toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan on a medium-low heat, gently swirling the pan until the seeds are golden brown, then immediately remove the pan from the heat.
Once the vegetables are cooked, take them out of the oven and pop them straight into a heatproof dish or bowl. Add a little of the sesame seeds and most of the spring onions, coriander and pul biber and remaining dried mint to the vegetables, reserving a little bit of everything for garnishing. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the vegetables along with a little drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil and give everything a gentle stir so that the courgettes and potatoes are fully coated in the dressing.
Spread the tahini yoghurt onto a large plate or platter then place the vegetables on top then garnish with the remaining spring onions, coriander, pul biber, dried mint and sesame seeds and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a final pinch of the remaining sea salt flakes. Serve immediately with fresh crusty bread.
