Everyone loves roasted potatoes, and here they are tossed with slivered artichokes (already skillet-cooked with onion and garlic), lots of fresh oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil. It is a completely vegetarian dish full of flavor that will transport your table to the Seven Hills. Serve with grilled fish or meat, especially grilled lamb chops. Or simply turn this dish into a crispy baked treat by adding some shredded young Pecorino Romano, spreading it over the potatoes and artichokes in the last 5 minutes of baking.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 1/2 pounds small artichokes (or more if using large ones; see Preparing Artichokes)

　　1 lemon for acidulated water

　　1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　4 plump garlic cloves, sliced

　　1 1/2 cups sliced onion

　　1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

　　1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste

　　2 pounds Yukon Gold or other good roasting potato

　　1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried

　　

Recommended Equipment

A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger, with a tight-fitting cover

　　A large baking dish or shallow casserole, about 10 by 15 inches

　　

Step 1

Trim the artichokes and cook them al tegame:

　　

Step 2

Slice the artichokes lengthwise 1/4 inch thick, and soak the slices in acidulated water (see Preparing Artichokes).

　　

Step 3

Pour 4 tablespoons of the olive oil into the skillet, stir in the garlic and onion, and set it over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the onion is wilting.

　　

Step 4

Drain the artichokes, and drop them into the skillet. Stir and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the peperoncino. Cover the pan, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the artichokes are slightly wilted and can almost be pierced with a fork tip. (If the artichokes are still hard after 5 minutes or so, and the pan seems dry, add a couple tablespoons of acidulated water to steam the slices.) Scrape the softened artichokes, onion, garlic, and all the oil from the skillet into a large bowl.

　　

Step 5

Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 375˚.

　　

Step 6

While the artichokes are cooling in the bowl, peel the potatoes and slice them into rounds, about 1/3 inch thick.

　　

Step 7

Toss the sliced potatoes with the artichokes in the bowl. Drizzle on 3 more tablespoons olive oil; scatter the oregano and 1 teaspoon salt on top, and toss again.

　　

Step 8

Brush the baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and fill it with the seasoned potatoes and artichokes, spread evenly. Cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum foil; tent the foil so it does not lie on the vegetables, and crimp it against the sides of the dish.

　　

Step 9

Bake the potatoes, covered, for about 25 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and take off the foil. With a wide spatula, gently turn the potatoes over in the dish, without breaking them. Return the pan to the oven, and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked, crisped, and colored nicely—the way you like them.

　　

Step 10

Taste the potatoes and adjust the seasoning; serve them hot right from the baking dish.

　　

Preparing Artichokes

Step 11

The part of the artichoke that we cook and eat is the unopened bud of the Cynara scolymus plant. In its smaller and younger form, the artichoke can be eaten almost in its entirety—leaves, heart, and stem. Once the artichoke grows, it develops a choke, and the outer leaves take on a tougher texture.

　　

Step 12

There are many different varietals of artichokes, from small to medium to large, from fat and wide to elongated, having bracts (petals) from wide and short to long and thin, from meaty to skinny. There are color variations also, from pale green, to olive green, to green with purple brushings. The ones I enjoy in Rome are the medium-sized pudgy, meaty ones that have purple brushings on their outer bracts.

　　

Step 13

California artichokes are sold across the United States all year round. I occasionally find my preferred type of chokeless baby artichokes in New York City markets, but most often I make artichoke dishes with medium and large artichokes, which have chokes that must be scraped out.

　　

Step 14

Fill a large bowl with a couple of quarts of cold water, and squeeze in the juice of a medium lemon (drop in the cut lemon halves too). This acidulated water bath will minimize the discoloration of peeled artichokes due to oxidation.

　　

Step 15

Trim one artichoke at a time, first snapping off the thick outside leaves, until you reach the tender, pale inner leaves.

　　

Step 16

Trim the tip of the stem, but leave most of it attached to the base of the artichoke.

　　

Step 17

With a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler, shave off the dark skin of the stem, exposing the tender core. Peel around the globe of the artichoke too, removing the dark-green spots where the tough leaves were attached.

　　

Step 18

Cut across the leaf tips with a serrated knife, removing the top third of the artichoke. Slice the entire artichoke in half lengthwise, splitting the bulb and stem. Scrape out the choke (found in mature artichokes) with a paring knife or the edge of a teaspoon and discard. Drop the pieces into the acidulated water.

　　

Step 19

For braising recipes, I like to cut artichokes into pieces no bigger than 2 inches. Baby artichokes just need to be split in two; bigger artichoke halves should be sliced lengthwise in quarters or sixths, in wedge shapes. Drop the wedges into acidulated water as you cut them.

　　

Step 20

For salads or skillet cooking, lay each half cut side down (after scraping out the choke). Slice the bulb and stem lengthwise in thin slivers, and submerge in acidulated water.

　　From Lidia's Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Copyright (c) 2007 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.