Potato, Harissa and Lentil Buddha Bowl
Did you see? White potatoes may should become the latest health food. Which, is really what I’ve been saying on here all along. I constantly get side eye when I tell people how much I enjoy white potatoes, like I’m letting them in on a dietitian’s guilty pleasure.
Wrong. Potatoes have been wrongly vilified mostly because of their more famous cousin, the French fry, which may have started out as a potato but is decidedly not the same nutritionally as roasted potatoes. The problem? When people report eating potatoes, it’s most often in a French fry form which then become assessed with other health risks. It’s the fries, not the potatoes.
White potatoes are excellent sources of vitamins C, B6, niacin, folate, potassium (even more than a banana!), manganese, magnesium and phosphorus. As a bonus, they are low in FODMAPs which make them easy to digest. (As a bonus bonus cooked and cooled potatoes are also very high in resistant starch, which is good for your GI and may help with weight loss.)
So, can we all agree that potatoes are amazing and we should be eating more of them? Good.
I’ve got the perfect lunch salad for you. Lentils in a spicy harissa dressing with Roasted Red Pepper and Onion Little Potatoes. This one comes together with very little prep work for a balanced and filling lunch (or dinner.)
If you haven’t seen yet in stores, The Little Potato Company came out with new varieties of their oven-ready potatoes, which are king for easy meals in our house. Simply open, toss with the seasoning packet and a little olive oil, pop in the oven and THAT’S IT! In 30-35 minutes, you have perfectly tender, seasoned Little potatoes that are delicious as-is or in simple bowl meals like this.
I promise you that these potatoes are far and away the best you’ve ever had. Their thin skin crisps up perfectly, with the creamiest filling. I also love that they are perfectly sized for Vander, he eats them like candy!
Enjoy. xo
Lentil Harissa Salad Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 package The Little Potato Company oven-ready potatoes, Roasted Red Pepper and Onion flavor
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup black lentils, rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Harissa paste, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt/ freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the packaging from the potatoes and toss with seasoning packet and drizzle of olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, mix in the cherry tomatoes to the same pan and place back in the oven to cook an additional 15 minutes, or until potatoes are done.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the lentils. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the lentils. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes.
- While the lentils are cooking, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing together: olive oil, harissa paste, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and ground coriander. Taste, adding in more salt/pepper as desired.
- Assemble. Toss the cooked lentils with 1/4 cup of the dressing until well combined. Divide the potatoes among bowls and top with the cooked lentils. Drizzle on remaining dressing.