This is the kind of dish that looks like it took real effort but actually just takes patience — most of the work is the oven’s, not yours.

It’s a classic pairing you’ll find all over the Mediterranean: tomatoes stuffed with rice and herbs, roasted alongside potato wedges until everything collapses into that soft, jammy, slightly caramelized texture that only happens in a hot oven over time. Nothing about it is complicated. It just needs a little sequencing.

What You’ll Need

For the tomatoes and rice:

• 6 large, ripe, firm tomatoes
• 2/3 cup short-grain rice (Arborio works well)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

For the potatoes:

• 2 lbs. waxy potatoes (Yukon Golds are ideal), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste

How to Put It Together

1. Parboil the rice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the rice. Cook it uncovered, stirring now and then, for 5 to 7 minutes. You’re not finishing it here, just softening the outside while the center stays firm. It’ll finish cooking later, inside the tomato. Drain it well and set it aside in a mixing bowl.

2. Prep the tomatoes

While the rice drains, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice about half an inch off the top of each tomato and set those caps aside — you’ll want them later. Scoop out the pulp and juice with a spoon, working carefully so you’re left with a shell sturdy enough to hold its shape once it’s stuffed.

3. Build the filling

Chop or mash the tomato pulp you just scooped out, then fold it into the bowl with the parboiled rice. Add the olive oil, the grated Pecorino, the chopped basil or parsley, and season it more generously with salt and pepper than feels natural — the rice will mellow a lot of that seasoning as it finishes cooking.

4. Fill the shells

Spoon the mixture into each tomato, but don’t pack it in tight. The rice still has room to expand in the oven, and an overstuffed tomato tends to split. Set the caps back on top once they’re filled.

5. Roast the potatoes first

Potatoes take longer than tomatoes to roast properly, so they need a head start. Toss the wedges with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt, spread them in a single layer in a roasting pan large enough to eventually hold the tomatoes too, and roast for 15 to 20 minutes — just until they start picking up a little color.

6. Bring it all together

Pull the pan out, nudge the potato wedges apart to make some room, and tuck the stuffed tomatoes right in among them. Back into the oven for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes have gone soft and slightly blistered and the potatoes are fully tender and deeply golden.

To Serve

This recipe serves 6. It’s just as good pulled straight from the oven as it is twenty minutes later at room temperature — honestly, some people prefer it that way.