Recipe: Baked Potatoes with Onion and Eggs, Served with Cilantro Sauce

Living in a house with a kitchen lacking an oven—a frequent occurrence, especially during the student years—truly makes you understand the feeling of lacking something you took for granted in life. A kitchen without an oven is like an egg without salt, a tortilla without onion, a hot chocolate without lumps. The desolation is not for nothing: the oven is, arguably, one of the most useful appliances to have in a kitchen.

With it, you can make a thousand pastry recipes, vegetables, meats, fish, rice, and even legumes. In this recipe, we prepare potatoes with onion and eggs, the latter also baked in the oven because, indeed, they turn out wonderfully. All you need is to have a small ovenproof dish to prevent them from spreading everywhere.

To this recipe, you can add as many roasted vegetables as you like, as long as you consider the cooking times so that everything is cooked to perfection. The cilantro sauce, which gives the dish the freshness it needs, also includes a bit of parsley, peanuts, lemon, oil, and salt. If you have cilantro phobia, you can replace it with your favorite herb, as well as add spices, grated cheese, or a bit of tofu to give it more texture.

Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: If you can turn on an oven, you can do it

Ingredients

For 2 people

• 3 medium potatoes (about 400 g)
• 1 onion (about 200 g)
• 2 eggs
• A sprig of fresh rosemary
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

• A generous handful of fresh cilantro (about 60 g)
• A handful of fresh parsley (about 40 g)
• 30 g of unsalted roasted peanuts
• Juice and zest of ½ lemon (or to taste)
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ºC (392 ºF).
2. Thoroughly wash the potatoes and cut them into wedges. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges as well.
3. Arrange the potatoes and onion on a large baking tray. Add the sprig of rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat well. Add a splash of water, just enough to leave a thin layer of about a couple of millimeters in the tray. Tip: It’s ideal for the potatoes to be in a single layer and the onion distributed on top to prevent it from coming into direct contact with the tray and burning easily.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
5. Flip the potatoes to ensure even browning. Bake for another 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, grease a small ovenproof dish with oil. Crack the two eggs into it and bake for about seven minutes, until the whites are cooked and the yolks are still creamy (or to your liking). Season with salt and pepper. Tip: If the oven allows, bake the eggs during the last seven minutes of the potatoes’ cooking time.
7. To prepare the sauce, blend the cilantro, parsley (including the stems of both), peanuts, lemon juice and zest, extra virgin olive oil, and salt to taste using a hand blender or food processor.
8. Serve the hot potatoes and onions, the baked eggs on top, and drizzle with the sauce to finish.

This recipe offers a delightful combination of flavors and textures, making it a satisfying meal for any occasion. Enjoy the simplicity and versatility of this dish, which can easily be customized to suit your preferences by adding various roasted vegetables or adjusting the seasoning in the cilantro sauce. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, this recipe is sure to impress with its delicious results.