Roasted Fajita Potatoes with Cotija

What a beautiful sight... A sizzling pan of fajita-style vegetables! In one bite, you get all the smoky love of fajita seasoning, crisp/golden brown potatoes, blissfully caramelized vegetables, and salty cotija cheese. I can promise you this: nobody will say "Where's the chicken?"

I can also tell you this: In my meat-eating household, there wasn't a speck of this left after dinner. I really didn't know what to expect when I served it to my boys. Obviously I knew they would love the flavors - a homemade fajita-style blend of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic. But in a potato dish? Yes - it blew everyone away! The whole house smelled like fajitas and a robust platter of potatoes, peppers and onions was a welcome surprise. It's so damn good.

Actually, it's so mouth-watering and colorful, I think you should consider it for entertaining. Especially if you're entertaining vegetarians, vegans and folks who don't eat gluten. It's satisfying, hearty, wholesome, and makes a gorgeous presentation.

Roasted Fajita Potatoes with Cotija

1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 pounds small red, gold or white potatoes, cut into wedges
1 each red and yellow (or green) bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup sliced onion
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
Cilantro leaves for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared pan and spread out in a single layer, reserving any leftover oil and spices in the bowl. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the bell peppers and onion to the remaining oil/spices and toss to coat. Add the vegetables to the potatoes and return the pan to the oven. Roast for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender and the vegetables are caramelized and tender-crisp. Top with the cotija and cilantro and serve.
Serves 4