In honor of my in-laws coming down for a weekend of LA adventures, walks, delicious meals, and of course, the list of honey-do’s we’ve been building up around the house for the last few weeks, I am sharing a recipe I like to make for the effortless backyard BBQ dinners for a group. 

As the summer inches upon us, we are trying to utilize our backyard more. It’s a great place to eat meals when you have a toddler still throwing food around and don’t have a dog. And we’ve worked hard to make it more of a functional space with water toys for the kiddos, a BBQ, and our beloved passionfruit plants that are blooming for the first time! This is because we are in our ‘non-eating out’ phase of life right now. I am sure it will come back sooner than we think but with Koa’s toddler energy and Maya’s – well, Maya is easy at three months, but she has a lot of stuff (nothing like walking up to a restaurant with two strollers) – I digress. With two kids and Koa’s age, eating out is just not as fun right now. It’s way more fun to throw something on the grill and let Koa run around the backyard. 

But I inevitably get bored of the usual burgers and dogs when it comes to grilling, so when the grandparents come into town,  it’s a great opportunity to switch it up. Sometimes we grill chicken for asian bowls, this weekend Nick tried ribs for the first time, and I am always experimenting with easy sides to accompany the main event. This recipe started as an experiment but is now one I revert to often when thinking of starches for a BBQ. Mostly because it has minimal prep and you can make ahead of time so you can enjoy the company rather than getting stuck in the kitchen when people are over. 

The secret ingredient to this one is Trader Joe’s Vegan Creamy Dill Dressing. I think it’s a salad dressing but for this recipe, I use it as a binder and creamy base for easy potatoes. You can find the bottle in the refrigerated section near the vegetables/salads in the store. It’s super light, simple ingredients, and an easy way to add great flavor to otherwise bland potatoes. You simply toss the potatoes and shallots with the dressing, top with cheese and fresh herbs, then bake. Viola! Easy side dish that goes great with grilled chicken, ribs, you name it. 

INGREDIENTS

7-8 variety of red and golden potatoes 

2 shallots

1 jar Trader Joe’s Vegan Creamy Dill Dressing

1 cup parmesan

¼ cup fresh parsley

olive oil

salt & pepper

Serving Size: 4-6

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400F. 
• Meanwhile, wash potatoes and slice the potatoes and shallots into thin rounds (the thinner you cut, the shorter the bake time). 
• Toss the potatoes and shallots with olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Spray the bottom of a deep dish pan with olive oil. 
• Layer the bottom with potatoes and shallots then pour ½ of the jar of dill dressing over it all. 
• Repeat for another layer, topping with the rest of the dressing. 
• Sprinkle parmesan and parsley on top. 
• Bake for 40 mins. 
• Enjoy!