Patatas Riojanas: Rioja-style Potatoes with Chorizo
Spanish chorizo, paprika, red bell peppers, onion and garlic turn potatoes into a colorful, satisfyingly hearty meal.
Servings 2 generously as a main course
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced or “cracked” into bite-sized chunks (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 to 4 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced into 1/4 to 1/3-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1-1/2 cups water
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large lidded skillet over medium flame. Add olive oil. When it starts to shimmer, add onion and cook, stirring often, until it just starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add potatoes and toss to coat with oil. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until potatoes begin to brown. Add red bell pepper and chorizo and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Stir in paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Stir in wine and cook until it is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
- Add water, turn heat to high to bring to a boil. Water should almost cover potatoes; if not add a little more. When liquid is boiling, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover pan and cook for another 10 minutes or more, until potatoes are tender.
- Discard bay leaf, adjust seasoning with salt and serve in shallow bowls.
Kitchen Notes
“Cracked” potatoes? More than one recipe described this traditional technique favored by Spanish cooks for cutting up potatoes. Slice the peeled potatoes in half lengthwise. Next, place the potato half cut side down on the cutting board; slice halfway into it near one end, then give your knife a twist. This will break off rough chunks of potato, exposing more surface, causing the potatoes to release more starch into the sauce to help thicken it. For this same reason, do not rinse the potatoes after you’ve “cracked” them, or you’ll wash away the starch. Don’t use the tip of the knife, as some recipes advise—this is the knife’s weakest point, and you could snap it off.
Picking your paprika. If you use Spanish paprika or pimentón for this dish, make sure to use the sweet kind; avoid smoked Spanish paprika, or it will overpower the dish. I used Hungarian paprika because that’s what we typically have on hand. It worked just fine.
Easy on the heat. Many recipes called for Guindillas, mildly hot pickled chile peppers which you remove at the end of cooking. I substituted crush red pepper flakes, which are more readily available in most areas. I also used an uncharacteristically light hand with them. Heat isn’t the point here, just a little liveliness on the tongue.