Courgette and Potato Stacks with Whipped Feta and Basil

WRITTEN BY

SERVES:

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Cook Time:

1 hour

It's the easy Christmas side dish recipe you've been dreaming of... Enjoy our crispy, crunchy roasted Courgette and Potato Stacks topped with Whipped Feta, Basil Pesto and a cherry tomato for the full Christmas tree effect!

The basil butter gives these veggies their crispy finish once roasted, and works perfectly with the basil and pinenut pesto to add a light, summer flavour that's perfect for balancing out the creamy whipped feta.

These morsels are the perfect vegetarian appetisers to hand around at a shared lunch or holiday BBQ...but we won't judge if you hoard the whole tray for yourself!

_INGREDIENTS:

_{ROAST VEGGIE STACKS:}

1 large zucchini (or 1.5 small)
4-5 small to medium potatoes
50g parmesan cheese, grated

_{WHIPPED FETA:}

150g low-salt feta cheese
75g cream cheese, room temperature
½ Tbsp Greek yogurt (optional, if needed to balance the saltiness of the feta)

_PESTO:

10g basil
10g pine nuts
10g parmesan cheese
½ clove garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

_{BASIL BUTTER:}

120g butter, melted
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup basil, chopped
Salt to taste

_TO GARNISH:

6 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 small basil leaves

_{INSTRUCTIONS:}

Prepare the whipped feta by blending the feta and cream cheese together in a blender until smooth. (If the feta is very salty, add ½ Tbsp of Greek yogurt to balance the flavor).
Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle for a Christmas tree effect (or if you haven’t got a piping bag, you can use a plastic bag and cut the tip of the corner when ready to pipe).
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set. Remove from the fridge a few minutes before using.
Prepare the basil butter by melting the butter on the stove and stirring in the crushed garlic.
Once slightly cooled, add the chopped basil and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Rinse your veggies, then slice the potatoes and zucchini thinly using a mandolin.
Place the slices in a bowl, pour over the basil butter, and toss to coat evenly.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly oil a 12-cavity muffin tin.
Build your vegetable stacks by layering the potato slices into each cavity, starting with the smallest slices at the bottom. Add 2-3 slices of zucchini between the potato layers, sprinkling parmesan cheese on one or two layers.
Cover the tin with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy.
While the stacks are baking, make your pesto. Combine the basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more oil if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble and garnish: Remove the tray from the oven and loosen the edges of the stacks with a knife.
Carefully turn the stacks upside down onto a serving plate.
Pipe whipped feta on top of each stack, add half a cherry tomato, drizzle with pesto, and garnish with a fresh basil leaf.