Briam: traditional greek roasted vegetables

Part of our Greek night. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 75 minutes Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes.

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb gold potatoes (about 3 medium-size potatoes), peeled and thinly sliced into rounds (about 1/8-inch thick)
1 1/4 lb zucchini squash (2 to 3 zucchini), thinly sliced into rounds (about 1/4-inch thick)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 28-oz canned diced tomatoes with juice
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced into rounds (if large, you’ll want to cut the onion in half first, and then slice)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack in the middle.
2. Place sliced potatoes and zucchini in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary. Add fresh parsley, garlic, and a generous drizzle extra virgin olive oil. Toss to make sure the vegetables are well coated with the EVOO and spices.
3. Grab a large round pan or skillet (11-inch oven safe pan +/-)
4. Pour 1/2 of the canned diced tomatoes in and spread to cover the bottom of the pan.
5. Arrange the seasoned potatoes, zucchini, and sliced onions in the pan in rows, going around the shape of the pan and alternating.
6. Pour over any extra olive oil and garlic mixture all over the veggies, then top with the remaining diced tomatoes.
7. Cover the pan with foil, tented aa bit so it doesn’t touch the veggies.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.
9. Take pan out briefly to carefully remove foil, then place back in oven,  uncovered, and roast for another 30-40 minutes or until the veggies are soft and charred and most of the liquid has evaporated.
10. Remove from oven. Serve warm or at room temperature with an added generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Notes

• If you don’t feel like arranging the vegetables neatly in round rows, you can use a deep rectangular baking dish. Pour 1/2 the tomatoes in the baking dish to cover the bottom as instructed, then simply spread the vegetables flat in the dish and top with the EVOO mixture and remainder of the tomatoes. Cover and follow instructions from here. It will look more like this casserole.
• What to Serve Along: To serve briam as the main course, serve with crusty or whole wheat pita bread, rice or grain of your choice.