Twisted Spanish Potatoes

Today I am nostalgic and thinking of my travels.  The Spanish serve these as appetizers or tapas.  My Twisted Spanish Potatoes are a side tonight.  I took a dish I tasted in Spain and added some Italian flare.  I love playing with my food and this is no exceptions.

My husband is Polish and his family had potatoes most days with their meals.  They ate mashed or boiled.  Nonna Emilia could make a meal out of potatoes. Her roasted potatoes were her specialty, and the secret was the Calabrese oregano.  To honour her I am adding oregano and a red bell pepper.  In Spain this dish comes with green peppers.  The ingredients are simple, but the flavour is big. Tonight we are having sausages and this will serve as a nice side dish.  Of course you can also eat this as a main with crusty bread and a salad.  You can also serve it as an appetizer.

In this recipe the sauce is thick and luscious.  I use Italian passata and I give it a little zing with Dijon mustard.  Which isn’t an Italian thing.  This mustard gives a creamy taste and adds a sheen to any dish.  I like to research condiments and this is an excellent article on using dijon in your dishes https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/18-ways-to-cook-with-dijon-mustard-article

One of my favourite potato dishes https://recipesatmytable.com/zucchini-potato-and-eggplant-bake/

Ingredients for Twisted Spanish Potatoes

• 12 mini potatoes cut in half
• 1 small onion sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp Calabrese Oregano
• 1 tsp chilli
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 cup passata ( or a good thick strained tomato)
• 3/4 cup both ( vegetable or chicken)
• 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Process

Wash the potatoes and cut in half.  Place the olive oil in the pan and cook the onions for a few minutes.

Add the potatoes to the pan and sprinkle with the chilli, oregano and this is when you can also add the red pepper chilli flakes.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the thinly sliced red pepper and cook for another five minutes.

Add the white wine and scrape all the bits from the bottom.  Follow with the passata and the broth.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low  for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook on low for another 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Plate and sprinkle with parsley.

Sweet Potato Zucchini Bake

Simple ingredients come together in this recipe to make Sweet Potato Zucchini Bake a great side or main.  There are only a few ingredients, but the kitchen smells like you cooked all day.  Another recipe stemming from the “Cucina Povera”, I remember slicing the zucchini for nonna.  We didn’t use sweet potatoes and we called ours “tiella”.  This stands for any layered vegetable casserole.  Sometimes in some regions of Italy, they will add mussels or cozze.  Ours were simple dishes, using minimal ingredients that were in season.

Cucina Povera

Times were hard all over Italy during and after the war, but especially in Southern Italy.  They didn’t have the industries that the North had.  Most Southern Italians were employed as farmers.  Both my grandfather were experts in farming.  My nonno Salvatore from Calabria was a much sought after traveling farmer. To support his family, he went to farms and organize, plant and help harvest crops.  My nonno Francesco, in Sicily took care of some farm lands in his area and worked up in those hills until his lat 70’s.  He loved the good earth and was proud to bring home his produce.

Also try my : https://recipesatmytable.com/tiella-with-zucchini-and-potatoes/

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes ( thinly sliced)
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 2 large zucchini ( thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 tbsp olive oil divided in 3
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning.

This is my Pampered Chef well seasoned stone.  It makes the best roast anything.  I finely chop the onion and add the tomato paste and olive oil to the pan and mix it. 

The sweet potatoes and zucchini are sliced next and I add 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 a tbs of the Italian seasoning to each. Toss and set aside. 

Then layer them in a circular fashion.  Give them a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese and place in a 400 F oven for 40 to 50 minutes. 

It starts to brown in the oven. 

Perfect as a side or main.