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Cooking a satisfying meal isn't always as simple as throwing a bunch of lovable things into one skillet, but today we get lucky. Both well balanced and deeply comforting, this mix of hearty chickpeas and tender potatoes offers high reward with low effort all in one skillet.
Brown the potatoes with salt and thyme, stir in the chickpeas, then top the whole thing with garlic and lemon. The heat does the rest of the work, and you have time to whip up a pretty green side dish to round out the plate. Shown above is a side of seared green beans topped with cubes of salty, smoky eggplant, all given a squeeze of lemon. It made for a great plate.
Red potatoes are recommended for texture and contrasting color next to the chickpeas, but feel free to use a gold or fingerling variety, if that's what you have around. Either way, don't reduce the oil called for in the recipe. Even if you use a nonstick skillet, the oil in the recipe is needed to keep the hash from becoming dry.
Lemon-Thyme Potato and Chickpea Hash
serves 2 generously
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
1 lb baby red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained well, but not rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, sliced
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, thyme, and salt, and stir to combine. Let cook, undisturbed, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, toss, and let cook another 8 minutes, tossing only every 3-4 minutes. The potatoes should be well browned.
Make a well in the center of the skillet and add the remaining teaspoon oil. Add chickpeas and let cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Toss everything in the skillet together, then sprinkle on the garlic evenly, and top with the lemon slices. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, undisturbed, until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes. (The moisture from the lemon and keeping the pan covered should prevent everything from sticking, but if you run into trouble, use water a tablespoon at a time to scrape loose any stuck bits.) Discard lemon slices, stir in freshly cracked black pepper, to taste, and serve hot.