My Turquoise Bag

I did not plan on writing a recipe post this weekend, but I made such a fun and colourful dinner platter last night that it deserves a spot here because I’d love for you to try it.

This aesthetic platter looks as though so much planning was put into it – but the opposite couldn’t be more true.

The idea came to me spontaneously after rummaging through my kitchen to see what I can throw together for a low-effort Saturday dinner at home.

Here’s what we had hanging around:

• A soft boiled egg
• 2 ripe avocados
• Spring mix greens
• Cucumber
• Cherry tomatoes
• Yellow mini potatoes
• A jumbo shrimp ring in the freezer

What came out of it was this bright and lemony seafood, potato and veggie platter.

To put it simply, this is a rustic platter of:

• Roasted potatoes
• Shrimp
• A salad

The aesthetic of this dinner platter was inspired by this video by Claire Saffitz that I saw months ago. What stood out to me was the presentation of having it on a sharing platter. I remember thinking, “How fun, I gotta try this one time”. And here we are.

Grab a fork, some rosé, and enjoy!

Recipe

Tip: Start with the potatoes. While they bake in the oven, you can prepare the shrimp and salad in the meantime.

Oven Roasted Seasoned Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. of yellow baby potatoes, rinsed, dried and cut in quarters
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place parchment paper on a 13″x18″ rimmed baking sheet.
2. Spread out the potatoes on the baking sheet into a single even layer.
3. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano and chilli flakes. Drizzle the olive oil and mix everything together, making sure every potato is coated evenly with the spices and olive oil (I like using my hands here!)
4. Bake the potatoes in the oven for 30-40 minutes, pulling it out halfway to toss/flip. For extra crispiness, broil the potatoes for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Garlicky Lemon Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1  ½ cups (or 425g) of cooked jumbo shrimp, thawed
• 1 medium clove of garlic, crushed
• The juice of half a lemon (or 1/4 cup lemon juice)
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Remove the tails of the thawed shrimp. Rinse with lukewarm water and drain. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil until well combined.
3. Add the shrimp, with a dash of salt and pepper. Toss to combine until the shrimp is well coated with the dressing.
4. Cover and set aside in the fridge.

Lemony Garden Salad

Ingredients:

• Spring mix greens of your choice
• 2 mini cucumbers, sliced
• 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons of really good extra virgin olive oil (I love this one!)

Add-on garnishes

• Avocado slices
• Soft-boiled egg
• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• Whatever else you want to add!

Assembly

1. On a clean 12″x8″ metal baking sheet (or any flat serving platter you have), start by placing the shrimp in one row, making sure to drizzle all the garlic lemon dressing on top.
2. In the middle of the sheet pan, place the salad. Top it with the avocado and egg.
3. Lastly, place the roasted potatoes in the remaining row and optionally top it off with thinly-chopped green onions.

Enjoy! xo