Linguine With Pesto, Potatoes And Green Beans

Introduction
When we first saw pasta with potatoes on a menu in Northern Italy, we must admit to being more than a little skeptical.

Why on earth would you pair those two ingredients? Surely that's a starchy, carbohydrate-rich, beige overload waiting to happen? Keto dieters, look away now!

The waiter politely but firmly informed us that Ligurians have been eating this dish ever since the dawn of time, so naturally we had to give it a try. To our amazement, it turns out that the combination works. We've no idea how it works, it really shouldn't, but it just does.

Pro tip
For the ultimate authenticity, you should hunt down trenette pasta. It's like linguine and spaghetti, but flat rather than round.

Ingredients for two

Method
Peel the potatoes and chop into cubes about the size of a die.

Bring a pan of salted water to a rolling boil and add the pasta and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the beans.

Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente and the potatoes are softened. Remove the pan from the heat and strain everything in a colander or sieve, making sure to reserve a tablespoon or two of the starchy water.

Place all the ingredients, apart from the cheese, in a bowl and stir through the pesto. There's no need to heat it anymore; the residual heat from the pasta will warm it perfectly.

Plate up and grate a generous amount of the Parmesan on top, followed by a few cracks of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.