Gemista
Greek oven-baked tomatoes and potatoes, slow-cooked with olive oil and herbs until tender and sweet. A rustic vegetarian classic that tastes better the next day.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 312
- Protein
- 5g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb waxy potatoes (like Yukon Gold)
- 2 lb ripe tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic cloves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 leaf bay leaf
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 375°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Scrub the potatoes under cold running water to remove dirt, then pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- 3
Place each potato on a cutting board and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, like slicing a coin stack, keeping the skin on.
- 4
Place each tomato stem-side up on the cutting board and slice straight down through the center into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.
- 5
Hold the onion with the root end pointing toward you and make 3 vertical cuts lengthwise from root to tip, creating wedges about 1/2 inch thick at the thickest part.
- 6
Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots.
- 7
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and tilt the dish back and forth until the bottom is evenly coated.
- 8
Arrange half of the potato slices in a single layer covering the bottom of the baking dish.
- 9
Scatter the onion wedges evenly over the potatoes.
- 10
Arrange half of the tomato slices in a single layer on top of the onions.
- 11
Sprinkle the minced garlic evenly over the tomatoes.
- 12
Arrange the remaining potato slices in a single layer on top of the garlic.
- 13
Arrange the remaining tomato slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes.
- 14
Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of dried oregano evenly over the surface and place the bay leaf in the center of the dish.
- 15
Drizzle the remaining 0.25 cup of olive oil evenly over the entire surface until the vegetables glisten.
- 16
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper evenly over the top layer.
- 17
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and slide it into the preheated oven on the middle rack.
- 18
Bake covered for 35 minutes until you smell a strong oregano aroma and the edges of the potatoes just begin to soften when pierced with a fork.
- 19
Remove the foil carefully — steam will rise out — and check that the potatoes are very tender and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
- 20
If the top is not golden, bake uncovered for another 5 minutes until the surface of the potatoes and tomatoes turns the color of warm honey.
- 21
Remove the baking dish from the oven using oven mitts and place it on a heat-safe surface to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Tools you’ll need
- oven
- 9-by-13-inch baking dish
- cutting board
- sharp chef's knife
- kitchen towels
- aluminum foil
- fork
- oven mitts
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