Eat Healthy and Cheap
Briam
Briam is a taverna staple: a tray of summer vegetables baked until soft and a little jammy, usually finished with a heavy pour of olive oil right before it reaches the table. Packing the potato and zucchini slices close together does the job that pour of oil normally does, trapping enough of their own steam to cook the potatoes through while a toasted tomato paste glaze gives the exposed edges something to caramelize against instead of drying out. What comes out of the oven tastes like concentrated summer vegetables rather than a fried dish, and it holds and reheats well for days.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Potatoes, scrubbed, sliced into 1/3-inch (8 mm) rounds
- 1 1/2 lb Zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch (8 mm) rounds
- 1 Yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 lb Fresh tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried oregano
- 1/3 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Toast the tomato paste in a dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it darkens by a shade and smells sweet instead of raw, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup (80 ml) water and the oregano to make a thin glaze.
- Toss the potato and zucchini rounds with the onion, garlic, and the tomato glaze until every slice is coated. The starch on the cut potato and the sugars in the toasted tomato paste do the job a film of oil usually does: they hold moisture at the surface and give it something to caramelize against.
- Arrange the vegetables standing on edge, packed close together, in a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish, alternating potato and zucchini. Crowding them is deliberate: pressed tight, they release enough of their own juice to braise the bottom of the dish while the exposed tops still dry-roast. Lay the tomato slices over the top.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast for 35 minutes, until a knife slides into a center potato slice with no resistance. The foil traps steam so the potatoes finish cooking through before the top has any chance to scorch.
- Uncover and roast 20 to 25 minutes more, until the pooled liquid has reduced to a light glaze and the tomato and zucchini edges have started to brown. Check at the 20-minute mark: once the liquid is gone, the sugars go from caramelized to burnt within minutes.
- Let the dish rest 10 minutes before serving; the glaze thickens slightly as it cools. Finish with the parsley, black pepper, and a light drizzle of red wine vinegar to cut through the sweetness.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 140 calories, 5 g protein, 5 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
