Roasted Baby Potatoes with Spinach, Olives, & Grape Tomatoes

As you might know if you're a regular visitor to my blog, my husband and I live and travel full time in our 5th wheel trailer. Turning on the oven in such a tiny space can quickly heat up the entire house. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on the weather! When I decided to make the "Roasted Baby Potatoes with Spinach, Olives, & Grape Tomatoes" (page 376), we were staying in Yuma, Arizona in March, with temperatures outside usually running in the 80s to 90s. Not an oven day! I figured this dish would probably be just as tasty if we roasted the potatoes outside on the grill, instead of inside in the oven, so that is what my husband did. I prepared foil packets containing the potatoes, savory, salt, and pepper, and my husband cooked them on the grill. In the meantime, I finished with the rest of the recipe preparations inside: sautéing the spinach and olives just long enough to wilt the spinach, and adding the grape tomatoes after everything else was done so they wouldn't overcook and disappear. When the potatoes were done, I tossed everything together in the skillet and the dish was ready to serve. If I were to cook the potatoes inside, I would leave out the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and coat the potato chunks with a bit of veggie broth instead so the spices would stick; I would then cover the cooking pan with foil for the "roasting" process. It's true you won't get a "browned and roasted" end product this way, but you will get deliciously cooked and creamy potatoes that are completely oil free. (You also eliminate about 40 grams of fat by leaving out the olive oil). If you are concerned about using aluminum foil, use a layer of parchment paper between the potatoes and the foil. This also helps prevent sticking. The is a very delicious preparation, and the leftovers make a great breakfast!

 

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

 

ü     Omit the olive oil, and follow the cooking instructions outlined above.