Everyday cooking
Layered roast vegetables with potatoes
Thin potato slices bake with courgettes, peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic in a shallow dish.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Servings / pieces
- 4
- Topic
- Everyday cooking
These vegetables are arranged in a shallow baking dish rather than scattered over a tray. Thin potato slices sit between courgettes, peppers and tomatoes, with onion and garlic flavouring the juices underneath. The potatoes are briefly boiled before assembly because they need longer to soften than the other vegetables. A covered first stage traps steam; an uncovered finish lets the exposed edges brown. The quantities fit a dish roughly 30 × 20 cm and make four side servings. Add bread and a herb dip for a simple vegetable supper, and spoon the tomato juices over each portion.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Parboil potatoes
Heat the oven to 200 °C conventional heat. Peel the potatoes and slice them evenly, about 3 mm thick. Boil in lightly salted water for 5 minutes; the slices should become flexible without falling apart.
- 02
Slice vegetables
Drain the potatoes and let steam escape briefly. Slice the courgettes and tomatoes about 5 mm thick. Remove the pepper seeds and cut the flesh into broad strips. Thinly slice the onion and chop the garlic.
- 03
Layer the dish
Grease the dish with 1 tbsp oil. Alternate the potatoes, courgettes, peppers and tomatoes in loose upright rows. Tuck the onion and garlic between them. Ease any tightly packed slices apart to leave small gaps.
- 04
Bake covered
Mix the remaining oil with oregano, salt and pepper and drizzle over the vegetables. Pour 60 ml water down the side. Cover and bake on the middle shelf for 25 minutes so steam helps soften the potatoes.
- 05
Finish uncovered
Uncover and bake for another 20–25 minutes until the exposed edges brown. Test the thickest potato slice with a knife tip: it should be tender without a hard centre. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Slice the potatoes consistently
Potatoes need longer than courgettes or tomatoes. Thin, even slices and a short preliminary boil help them finish together. A smaller or deeper dish can take longer because less surface is exposed. If the edges darken before the potatoes soften, cover the dish again and continue cooking.
Make use of the juices
Tomatoes, onion and oil create a light sauce in the bottom of the dish. Spoon it over bread or couscous alongside the vegetables. Particularly watery tomatoes may release more liquid; leave the dish uncovered towards the end. Cheese is unnecessary here, though it can be served separately at the table.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I use raw potato slices?
You can, but the cooking time will change considerably. Briefly boil them for the timings given here. With raw slices, do not serve until a knife passes easily through their centres.
Do the slices have to stand upright?
No. Loosely overlapping rows also work. Avoid a thick, tightly packed layer of potatoes, and make sure the slices can reach some of the vegetable moisture.
