re·cipe: baked greek-style potatoes and green beans

Last week, I was shocked to find that I had somehow managed to accumulate an embarrassing amount of frozen green beans! I certainly enjoy eating them, but I knew I was going to have to get creative with the amount I had.

A quick Google search brought up multiple ideas, mostly involving one seasoning or another. Boring. Finally, I found various recipes for Greek potatoes and green beans. We Irish do love our potatoes, and this could easily serve as a vegetarian entree along with some bread, rice, or salad. Even better, this version of the dish is baked, eliminating the need for fattening oils (most recipes I found were prepared on the stovetop).

This came out simple and hearty, almost like a meatless stew. It felt like a guilt-free comfort food, though in the future I will be more generous with the seasonings and likely use red or another variety of potatoes (I had butter potatoes in the house when I tried this). Still, it was simple and enjoyable.

Baked Greek-Style Potatoes and Green Beans

You Will Need:

• 3-5 medium-large potatoes, your preference of variety
• 1 12-16 oz bag frozen green beans, your preference of cut/variety
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh chopped parsley
• feta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Sprinkle chopped onions in a 9x13 baking dish (may grease lightly if desired)
• Wash potatoes and cut into small chunks (may peel if desired)
• Layer potato chunks on bottom of dish

• Layer green beans over potatoes

• Spread tomato paste on top of mixture - fill can halfway with water and poor over mixture
• Sprinkle parsley on top of dish

So maybe I didn't follow the exact layering order - that's OK- you will be mixing often!

• Cover dish with foil and bake for 45-55 minutes, mixing ingredients every 10 minutes; remove when potatoes are soft.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top with feta cheese if desired

Not so pretty, but pretty tasty!