Broiled Zucchini & Potatoes with a Parmesan Crust

I made this wonderful dish, another recipe out of Giada's new book, as a side for last Sunday's dinner with the parents. I recommend using fresh herbs & parm but if you can't I wouldn't let that keep you from making this. It was so flavorful & beautiful!

Although there's 3 phases of cooking here between the boiling, pan time & broiling it really is simple. I did the potatoes ahead of time & I also combined the butter, garlic, herbs in a bowl ahead of time. Later, I let them lay on the baking sheet until I was ready to put them under the broiler.

4 small new potatoes (red or white, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
2 tblsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 small zucchini, cut in 1/2 lengthwise & then cut into 1 in pieces
Pinch kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes & cook until just tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes & let cool. When cool, cut the potatoes in half.

Place your largest saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, thyme & rosemary & let cook until the butter melts, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season the cut sides of the zucchini and potatoes with salt & pepper. Carefully place the zucchini & potatoes cut side down in the melted butter. Let them cook until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. (Even my biggest pan was not enough to have it all laying flat. No worries. Just let it all sit & then rotate but don't keep stirring like your sauteing. You want them browned not steamed).

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the browned zucchini & potatoes on the baking sheet cut side up. Sprinkle the tops with the Parmesan. Place in the broiler until the cheese is golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate & serve.

My Thoughts:

If you're like me & you don't like your zucchini mushy make sure your potatoes are very tender after boiling so that they are just waiting on the zucchini when they are all combined in the pan. I also doubled this recipe for 4 adults by using 2-3 large zucchini & 6-8 small red potatoes.

Click Here for a Printable Recipe

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Have a great weekend everyone! I am doing a 5K tomorrow morning, getting my haircut & rid of my highlights to go back to my natural brown for the Fall & spending quality time with the fam. And plenty of cooking too!!!