Delicious Everyone Potatoes
I was taught to cook this dish when I first started out cheffing. I think every chef I knew at the time owned a copy of the Moro Cookbook. I am delighted to have been asked by Perelló (of cult tinned olive fame) to come up with a dish to showcase their new olive oil. I love good olive oil and get through masses, this one is frankly delicious with a subtle fruity flavour, so good, I could probably drink it!
I knew from the off that I that I wanted to cook a recipe that would show how a good olive oil can flatter more everyday ingredients. This dish is just that, except I’m losing the dejected moniker of Poor Man and calling this Delicious Everyone Potatoes; this dish does exactly what it says on the Perelló tin, “Bringing the joy of timeless foods to you!” I’ve also taken the liberty of adding some sweet paprika, marinated artichokes, sherry vinegar and finely chopped parsley to the original recipe, because well, 20 years on from first cooking this dish, I can!
Note. Any excess oil used to cook this dish can be stored and used to cook this same dish again from the start, onions, peppers and potatoes and so on.
INGREDIENTS
To feed 4 as a side dish
1 kg waxy potatoes, ideally Cyprus Potatoes
5 long green peppers, deseeded and sliced lengthways
1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and sliced 2cm
3 onions, peeled and sliced 2cm
Approximately 90mls (6tbsp) Perelló Olive Oil
4 garlic, peeled and sliced ½ cm pieces
4 bay leaves, scrunched a little
½ tbsp Tap de Cortí sweet paprika
6 Navarrico marinated artichokes, cut in half lengthways
1 tbsp Valdespino sherry vinegar, or more to taste
½ small bunch parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bread, to serve, optional
Jamón Ibérico, to serve optional
METHOD
In a wide pan over a moderate heat, add 2 tbsp Perelló Olive Oil and the sliced onions. Reduce the heat to moderate – low and cook the onions with a big pinch of salt for at least 15 minutes, to soften completely.
Add the peppers, garlic and bay leaves and cook with a lid on for a further 10 – 15 minutes over a moderate – low heat for the peppers to soften.
Peel and cut the Cyprus potatoes into large chips, cutting the potatoes down the length and each half potato into 2 or 3 wedges, depending on the size of the potato.
Add the remaining quantity of Perelló Olive Oil to the peppers and onions in the pan and add the potatoes with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix well, for the oil to coat the potatoes, onions and peppers.
Make a cartouche (snug fitting round of paper) with some greaseproof paper and put this over the contents of the pan to ensure the content is tightly packed down in the pan. Add a lid to the pan and cook in the oven at 180C for around 40 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and cooked through and the peppers and onions are melting and soft. Alternatively, cook over a low heat on the hob, checking the base of the pan from time to time, ensuring nothing is sticking.
Remove from the heat, add the marinated artichokes, pushing them in amongst the potatoes, dust over with the paprika, sprinkle over with sherry vinegar and finally, the chopped parsley. Let the pan sit for at least 10 minutes off the heat.
To serve, eat the Delicious Everyone Potatoes with some good bread, Spanish ham, if using, sweeping the bread through the juices in the pan