Sizzling Italian Dipping Oil for Bread

Sizzling hot, full of fresh herbs and garlic with a little drizzle of sweet balsamic vinegar…the most irresistible dipping oil for bread. It soaks into the bread just a little and is the perfect appetizer or side dish for any meal.

Years ago when I was in college I was dating a boy that enjoyed cooking and baking. We had a lot of fun trying new recipes and because we were dating, my parents gave me a fancy set of oil and different seasonings for bread for one of my Christmas gifts. The relationship didn’t last but my love for bread and dipping oil totally did! Haha!

Take 10 minutes to make this dipping oil recipe, pull a fresh loaf of focaccia bread or a crusty artisan bread loaf out of the oven, and you have an elegant start to your authentic Italian bolognese dinner! You’ll feel like you’re sitting at a fancy Italian restaurant!

What Goes into Italian Dipping Oil?

Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

• Olive Oil – extra virgin, make sure it is good quality (from Italy or California is the best), extra virgin olive oil has a deeper and richer flavor
• Garlic – fresh, not from a jar
• Fresh herbs – parsley, oregano (or marjoram), rosemary and basil all minced really fine
  • PRO TIP: We love this combinations of fresh herbs, but you could use any combination you love! It’s so versatile! Add some thyme, omit the parsley…seriously whatever your family enjoys!
  • If you need to use dried herbs, double all the measurements for each herb.
• Red Pepper Flakes – feel free to add more if you like more heat
• Kosher Salt – adds flavor
• Balsamic Vinegar – adds the most lovely hint of sweetness and acid to cut through the oil
• Bread – I have been known to dip just about any bread into this oil. Heck, I’d dip a slice of white Wonderbread! See section below for specific suggestions.

The measurements for each ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

What Type of Olive Oil is Best for Dipping Oil?

You want a top quality, extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. Extra virgin olive oil will hold up the best to all the flavors of the fresh herbs. Look for EVOO that is from Italy or California. EVOO can be expensive, but you only need 1/3 cup for this recipe, so buying the best is recommended and will last for a long time.

Can Other Types of Oil Be Used?

No, I would definitely not recommend using any other type of oil for making a dipping oil for bread. Other types of oil just don’t have the same rich flavor that you get from olive oil. Olive oil is also one of the healthiest types

Garlic Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fingerling potatoes brushed with garlic butter, seasoned with fresh herbs and roasted to golden perfection! This is a tried and true potato side dish in our house!

I adore fingerling potatoes, especially these rosemary and thyme fingerlings. They are creamy unlike Russet potatoes that are more starchy.  I love how tender they are and while it doesn’t really do anything to the flavor, I also happen to love how little they are. They are just perfect for a delicious side dish.

What is a Fingerling Potato?

A fingerling potato is a small, stubby, finger-shaped type of potato. They are fully mature when harvested and should not to be confused with new potatoes.

Because they are low in starch, they are extra creamy inside. They have a very thin skin that doesn’t need to be peeled before cooking them, and they come in a variety of colors.

Can You Roast Fingerling Potatoes?

Fingerling potatoes are ideal for roasting. Their small size means they will roast up quickly and evenly.

Ingredients for Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

You only need a few ingredients to make this potato recipe. Here is what you will need:

• Fingerling Potatoes: You can buy multicolored fingerlings or all one color.
• Olive Oil: used to roast the potatoes and make the outside crispy
• Butter: also helps with the crispiness and adds flavor
• Rosemary: strip the needles from the main twigs and finely chop the needles
• Thyme: grab a twig of thyme by one end and then pinch the twig between your thumb and index finger and run your fingers in the opposite direction that the little leaves are growing and the leaves will pop right off
• Garlic: the reason for garlic is always flavor, flavor, flavor
• Kosher Salt: adds flavor

This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients used in the recipe. The measurements of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Roasted Fingerlings

Fingerling potatoes look like the potatoes you would get at a fancy restaurant, so they must be difficult to make, right? Wrong! They are so simple and here is an overview of the

1. Prep the oven and potatoes.
2. Melt the butter, then add the olive oil, herbs and salt and stir together.
3. Add the potatoes and stir until well coated.
4. Place the potatoes cut side down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven.
5. Flip the potatoes over part way through baking.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven and top with the rest of the herbs.

Scroll down for the detailed instructions in the recipe card. You can also print and save the recipe there.

Tips for the Best Roasted Fingerlings

Try to keep the size of the potatoes the same so that they

Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Orzo

Easy orzo pasta with roasted garlic and tomatoes and fresh basil is just what I crave on a hot summer night. In the summer, I’m all about the quick and easy meals that are light and refreshing.

When Cade and I first started the blog I was whisked off on a fun little business trip where we got to try small servings of an entire menu. During the tasting a roasted garlic pasta was served to us with huge whole garlic cloves that were heavily fragrant.

I carefully ate around them only to notice my seat mate was enjoying the entire dish, full cloves of garlic and all. “Do people really eat garlic?” I thought. I mean, I knew it went in dishes but to be an actual component felt odd.

I sliced a chunk off of a clove, swirled and twisted my noodles up around it and the fork and I’ve been sold ever since. The sweetness of the garlic comes out in the roasting time and no, it doesn’t remove the smell off your breath, but it’s worth it!!

Ingredients in this Orzo Recipe

This orzo recipe may give you garlic breath, but we are going to add a few more flavor to it! Here is what you will need:

• Cherry Tomatoes: black cherry, piccolo or Vittoria varieties are our favorites
• Olive Oil: for roasting the tomatoes and cooking the garlic
• Salt and Pepper: for seasoning the roasted tomatoes and for seasoning the whole dish
• Garlic: flavor, flavor, flavor
• Butter: helps pan roast the orzo and adds loads of flavor
• Orzo: sauteing the pasta beforehand adds a delicious nutty flavor
• Lemon Juice: fresh is best
• White Wine: we use cooking wine, but feel free to use whatever brand you want
• Chicken Stock: could easily swap this out for vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian
• Water: helps cook the orzo
• Basil Leaves: I highly suggest using fresh basil only.
• Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated parm on top is the best
• Red Pepper Flakes: adds heat, add as much as you want!
• Pine Nuts: adds texture and flavor

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil Orzo

This recipe comes together so easily and most of the time is spent waiting for the tomatoes to roast and the orzo to cook. Here are the basic steps:

1. Roast the tomatoes.
2. Pan roast the garlic and then the orzo.
3. Let the orzo simmer in all the flavors.
4. Add the liquids to cook the pasta.
5. Season to taste and top with the pine nuts, basil and parmesan.

All the details can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also save or print the recipe from there.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

We have so many recipes that use garlic, tomatoes and basil. It is a classic combination of simple flavors that you can just never go wrong wi

Garlic Pesto Caprese Burgers

I love all the flavors of caprese, so making garlic pesto caprese burgers just seemed like the logical next step.

The juicy beef patty has pesto mixed in, and then we grill it and top it with melty Havarti cheese, tomatoes, crispy lettuce and a tasty garlic mayo between a toasty brioche bun.

I’ve never really been a hamburger girl. I’ve always thought they were too dry and grainy. I realize that may not seem too American to hate a hamburger, but I think I may always prefer a panini, turkey club or something of that sort. Well, that’s not true. Lately I’ve been trying hamburgers to see if I could find one I like. This garlic pesto caprese burger, well, I secretly kinda loved it…

Ingredients for Garlic Pesto Caprese Burgers

This is just an overview of the ingredients you will need to make these scrumptious burgers. For all the measurements and instructions for making the recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.

For the Burgers

• Ground Beef Chuck: Go to your butcher and ask for a mix of this and ground sirloin. Having a good blend of meat makes a huge difference when it comes to flavor.
• Ground Sirloin: Combined with the beef chuck, it creates such great flavor.
• Pesto: You can make your own or buy some at the store.
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
• Brioche Hamburger Buns: You want a really good quality bun that is hearty enough to hold up to a juicy burger but also not so heavy that it takes away from the flavor of the burger.

Burger Toppings

• Green Leaf Lettuce: We love the way green leaf lettuce looks and tastes.
• Campari Tomatoes: These tomatoes have such great flavor, but if you can’t find them, you could go with a vine ripe tomato.
• Havarti Cheese: adds creaminess and just a touch of sweetness that is perfection on this burger
• Balsamic Glaze: You would use just balsamic vinegar if you don’t have a glaze.

For the Garlic Mayo

• Light Mayo: You don’t have to use light mayo, but it really tastes great and I like it to be lighter.
• Dijon Mustard: adds a little tanginess
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor

Which Cheese is Best for Caprese Burgers

I decided that since we were doing a caprese style burger, then we might as well add Mozzarella, but ultimately it was the Havarti Cheese that really won us over. There’s slightly more flavor than mozzarella, yet it still melts down beautifully. The flavor is subtly sweet with a light note that pairs it perfectly with garlic and pesto.

How to Avoid Burger Shrinking when Cooking

I have discovered a little trick to keep them nice a

Garlic Dill Fingerling Potatoes

Little buttery fingerling potatoes braised with garlic and dill and topped off with fleur de sel salt are the next greatest thing to hit your Sunday dinner. You are going to love these potatoes!

To me potatoes are just the perfect family food. There’s just something about them that always brings back memories of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinners etc, all home cooked by Mom. But times have changed, and so have potatoes.

I knew as a young girl that there were Russet potatoes. And that was all there was to it. I had no idea there were other kinds and that they are not only different but some potatoes cannot be subbed for other potatoes in recipes. For example, these brown butter braised dill fingerlings. Read on to find out why.

What are Fingerling Potatoes?

Fingerling potatoes are low in starch and extra creamy inside with a paper thin peel that crisps perfectly when roasted. There are lots of different types of fingerling potatoes – red, yellow, purple, golden or a mixture of all colors.

What Do Fingerling Potatoes Taste Like?

Once roasted these potatoes have a flavor that is mild, nutty and earthy, and their texture is firm and moist.

Why Use Fingerling Potatoes?

I mentioned earlier that you wouldn’t want to substitute other potatoes in this recipe. The reason for this is that fingerling potatoes braise better than other potatoes because you leave them whole since they are so small. They get soft and tender inside while the skin gets crispy and delicious. Fingerlings are also perfect for fast meals since they don’t have to be peeled and they cook through quickly.

The Ingredients for Dill Fingerling Potatoes

One of my favorite thing about potato recipes is that they usually don’t take many ingredients to make them delicious. This recipe calls for just 7 ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• Butter: unsalted and used to braise the potatoes on the stove top
• Fingerling Potatoes: rinse them but no need to peel them and you only need 1 pound of them
• Kosher Salt: used to flavor the braising fingerlings
• Black Pepper: freshly ground
• Fresh Dill: You’re really going to want fresh dill here, but if you absolutely must use dried, use 1 teaspoon. You’ll also use part of the dill while the potatoes are braising and the rest will be added at the end before serving.
• Garlic: adds flavor to the potatoes as they braise
• Course Salt: fleur de sel or kosher salt, used to season the potatoes right before serving

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. You can save or print the recipe from there as well.

What Can You Substitute For Fingerling Potatoes?

If you cannot find fingerling potatoes, new potatoes are a comparable substitute.

What is Fleur de Sel?

Fleur de Sel is salt in its purest form. It forms as seawater evaporates leaving a thin crust on the surface. It is so pure that it has no bitterness and adds delicious flavor to food.

I’m going to guess that most people don’t have Fleur de Sel on hand, so any other coarse salt, including Kosher salt works just