Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Spring Onions

This uber-simple side dish was inspired by the Calçotada Festival, a traditional feast in Northern Spain that celebrates spring’s harvest of calçots which are similar to spring onions.  I had my first Calçotada experience at Back Forty Restaurant in Manhattan where I stuffed myself with the charred green beauties dipped in Romesco sauce followed by juicy lamb chops, botifarra sausage and huge garlic soaked white beans.  We washed it all down with bottomless cold rosé and danced to the live flamenco music provided throughout the night.  Needless to say, I’ll be attending the festival again next year as should you!  Until then, get a little taste of these gorgeous onions at home with this recipe.  Eat it alone or as a side dish to meat, chicken, fish or beans.  Salut!

Makes 2 servings

4 large fingerling potatoes, halved
4 large spring onions, butts trimmed off
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt
Fresh cracked black or white pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash potatoes and onions well.  Toss potatoes and onions with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and space them evenly on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, flip the potatoes and onions over and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Close up the potatoes and onions in tin foil for a few minutes to allow steaming, toss with butter and serve.  Slice a piece of onion and a piece of potato and eat them together for the whole tasty effect!