Roasted Fingerling Potato and Tomato Salad with Feta & Green Beans

When I called my mother yesterday, she told me about this amazing side dish with roasted fingerling potatoes and feta that she had made the night before.  I decided I wanted to make it and headed out to The Fresh Market to pick up everything I needed for dinner. 

Before I picked up my daughters from school, I put together a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, fresh basil, white balsamic vinegar, garlic, and coarse ground black pepper.

My favorite fingerling potatoes are the Russian Banana variety.  I purchase them at The Fresh Market or Whole Food. 

After washing them and coating them with olive oil and kosher salt, I roasted them face down on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Roasted potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes to serve with steak. I turned a couple of potatoes over so you could see how nice and crispy they got on the side that was face down. 

I used my favorite olive oil in this recipe -- 365 Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Whole Foods.  I like that it has a really mild flavor that doesn't overpower what I am cooking.  I use white balsamic vinegar because it doesn't change the color of your food. 

My daughters are addicted to feta cheese.  I knew they would like this recipe because it would give them an excuse to ask for more and more feta. 

I purchased my green beans from The Fresh Market.  Looking to make my dinner easy, I bought steam in the bag beans from the produce section.  My mom used grape tomatoes, but I decided to use a bag of San Marzano tomatoes. 

My whole family really loved this recipe. There were no grumbles from my daughters and my husband told me multiple times how much he liked it.

Roasted Fingerling Potato and Tomato Salad with Feta & Green Beans

Ingredients

10 fresh basil leaves -- chopped
3 T extra virgin olive oil + more for roasting the tomatoes
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 T white balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves -- smashed
1 package of fingerling potatoes -- 1 1/2 pounds
kosher salt -- about 4 pinches
1 small container of grape or San Marzano tomatoes
1 package of fresh steam in the bag green beans -- not frozen
Feta cheese crumbles -- to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the basil, 2 T of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper.  Whisk your dressing and set it aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and dry your potatoes before cutting them in half length-wise.  In a large bowl, toss them with 1 T of olive oil and 2 pinches of kosher salt.   Place them face down on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 25 minutes until golden brown.  Do not turn them.

While the potatoes are cooking, wash and dry your tomatoes.  Place them in a small bowl and toss them with just enough olive oil to coat them.  Add a pinch of kosher salt and toss them again.  Place them on a small baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.  When your potatoes are cooked, put the tomatoes in the oven to roast for 5 minutes.

While your tomatoes are roasting, cook your green beans according to package directions, using the minimum suggested time for the wattage of your microwave.

Place your potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans in a large serving bowl.  Add the dressing (garlic removed), a pinch of salt, and feta cheese to taste.  Gently stir to combine.  Serve warm.


This recipe was inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe for Grilled Fingerling Potato Salad with Feta, Green Beans, and Olives.