POTATOES A LO POBRE, REVISED

“Patatas a lo pobre should have crisp edges,” said my in-house critic. I had made the dish—sliced potatoes baked with onions, peppers and wine—to accompany a roast pargo, an impressive 4-pound sea bream. 

It was a recipe I learned many years ago in pueblo kitchens. Potatoes and vegetables are layered in a roasting pan and fish (or pieces of chicken, lamb or baby goat) is placed on top. Lots of olive oil and a glass of wine and into the oven. The juices from the fish mingle with the potatoes. It’s a delicious dish, but, no, the potatoes don’t have crispy brown edges.

In fact, my potatoes were not true patatas a lo pobre. They were closer to patatas panaderas, “baker’s potatoes.” The verdadero patatas a lo pobre never sees the inside of an oven, but is done entirely in a deep skillet. While it got its name—“poor folks’ potatoes—as an economical family meal with no meat, now it is served as a side dish with fish, meat, chicken, rabbit or fried eggs.

Facing up to the criticism—and my own error in naming—I was determined to make real patatas a lo pobre, with potatoes with browned edges. Here are the results of my testing.

Potatoes first poach in olive oil, then brown in the oven.

Serve the potatoes as a side dish with meat, chicken, fish or fried eggs.

I got some crispy edges!

The oil keeps potatoes juicy. Delicious for breakfast, lunch or supper with fried egg.

Poor Folks’ Potatoes
Patatas a lo Pobre

Poach potatoes and vegetables in lots of olive oil.

The procedure—Cook the sliced potatoes, onions and strips of green peppers in a large quantity of olive oil. Spanish cooks say to “confitar” the potatoes. You will “poach” the potatoes in oil, without letting them brown. No wine or other liquid is added. Use a medium heat.

How much is a large quantity of oil? At least un dedo deep, or about ½ inch. That’s about 2 cups of oil for 2 pounds of potatoes. Don’t freak! Once the potatoes are cooked, you’re going to drain off the oil. (Strained, it can be used for other purposes, such as frying eggs to accompany the potatoes.)

Oil drained off.

I measured the oil drained from the potatoes; it measured 1 2/3 cups. Meaning only 1/3 cup of (flavorful) oil had been absorbed by the potatoes. Mind you, this only works with extra virgin olive oil!

How long to cook the potatoes in oil? That depends on the variety of potato you use. I recommend the Kennebec variety, which gets tender without disintegrating. I used a round white baking potato that was tender in barely 10 minutes. But, when I proceeded to the next step, the potato slices tended to break up. 

The next step is to drain off as much oil as possible. A heat-proof, metal colander or sieve is useful for this. You might want to ladle the potatoes out of the pan, as tipping a heavy skillet full of hot oil and potatoes is tricky. 

Return the potatoes to the skillet and turn up the heat. Let them brown somewhat on the bottom and edges, but don’t try to stir them.

Alternatively, to avoid breaking up the sliced potatoes: after draining off the cooking oil, carefully transfer the potatoes and vegetables to a baking pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF with convection fan or 375ºF conventional setting. Roast the potatoes until the edges begin to brown, 15-20 minutes.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

2 pounds potatoes, such as Kennebec variety
1 medium onion
2 bell peppers, green and/or red
3 cloves garlic
2 cups (approximately) olive oil
1 bay leaf (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, to garnish

Slice potatoes ¼-inch thick.

Peel the potatoes and slice them about ¼-inch thick. Wash the slices in cold water, drain and pat them dry.

Cut the onion into quarters. Slice them, stem to root end, in julienne. Discard seeds from peppers and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Lightly crush the garlic just to split the skins. Don’t peel the garlic.

Put enough oil in a deep skillet or wide pan to measure ½ inch deep. Place on medium heat and add the potatoes. When oil is hot, add the onions, peppers, garlic and bay leaf, if using. Moderate the heat so the potatoes cook slowly, turning them with a wooden spatula, until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Do not allow them to brown. 

Drain off cooking oil.

Place a heat-proof (metal) colander or sieve over a heat-proof bowl. Either carefully tip the potatoes into the colander, allowing the oil to drain into the bowl, or use a slotted spoon to ladle the potatoes out of the pan, then drain off the oil. If desired, discard bay leaf and garlic cloves.

Preheat oven to 375ºF or 350ºF using the convection fan.

If using an oven-proof skillet or pan, return the potatoes to the pan. Otherwise, spread them in an oven pan. Add salt and pepper and carefully mix. 

Place the potatoes in the oven until they begin to brown on the edges, about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Scoop potatoes from the pan onto plates or onto a serving platter. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Some similar potato recipes:

Potatoes a lo Pobre (actually Panaderas).

Baked Fish with Potatoes.

Chicken Baked with Potatoes.

Roasted Kid-Goat with Potatoes.

Fried Egg and Potatoes (Huevos Rotos).

More about Kennebec potatoes in Spanish recipes.

The potato story.

POTATOES "A LO POBRE" ARE A CLASSIC

Potatoes "a lo pobre," baked in a cazuela.

I’m on a potato kick. A basket of freshly-dug potatoes has inspired me to cook them just about every day. As much as I love eating steamed new potatoes with olive oil and chopped parsley, after a few days I’m ready for some variety.

Inspiration: freshly-dug potatoes.

Spain has dozens of different potato dishes (I counted 35 potato recipes in one of my Spanish cookbooks). Many of them are meant to be sturdy, economical main dishes. Such is Patatas a lo Pobre—“poor folk’s potatoes”—a classic recipe. It may be poor in meat, but is rich in flavor. And, while it serves nicely as a vegetarian dish, it is more frequently encountered as a side with fish, poultry or meat. I serve it alongside herb-roasted pork loin or baked beneath a whole fish.

Some folks call the dish patatas panaderas—“baker’s potatoes”—if it is made in an oven. The two recipes are pretty much the same—layers of sliced potatoes, plenty of olive oil, onion, garlic and parsley. The version I learned to make in the village also has juicy tomato slices and green pepper.

Tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic flavor potatoes.

Poor Folk’s Potatoes
Patatas a lo Pobre

You can vary the basic recipe for potatoes a lo pobre. I sometimes add other vegetables such as sliced zucchini or shredded chard. Chopped ham or bacon turns “poor” into something a little richer. Substituting smoked pimentón (paprika) for regular pimentón gives an extra flavor dimension, especially traditional in Extremadura (western Spain), where smoked pimentón is made.

The potato casserole can be cooked on top of the stove instead of in the oven, but you will need to use more oil and more liquid. Don’t stir the potatoes, but shake the cazuela occasionally. The bottom layer may form a crust—a delicious bit to scrape up.

The potatoes can be peeled and sliced in advance—leave them covered with water until ready to assemble the casserole.

The cooked potatoes should be nice and juicy. If they are cooking too fast, add additional water or white wine so they don’t dry out.

Serves 6.

Ingredients to flavor potatoes.

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1/3 cup olive oil   
2 teaspoons salt
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, cut in strips
1 large tomato, quartered and sliced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon crumbled dry thyme (optional)
1 teaspoon pimentón (paprika)
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place half the oil in a 3-quart cazuela or other heat-proof casserole. Arrange half the sliced potatoes in the casserole and sprinkle with half the salt. Top with half the sliced onion, green pepper, tomato, parsley and garlic.

Add remaining potatoes, sprinkle with salt and remaining onion, pepper, tomato, parsley and garlic. Sprinkle with thyme and pimentón. Pour over remaining oil, wine and 1/3 cup water.

If using a heat-proof casserole, place on a medium heat on top of the stove until the liquid begins to simmer. Then cover the casserole with a lid or foil and bake until potatoes are fork tender, about 60 minutes.

Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Note, Sept. 2019: All these years later, I realize I have been incorrectly calling this potato dish patatas a lo pobre. It's really patatas panaderas, or "baker's potatoes," always prepared in the oven. A recipe for the verdadero patatas a lo pobre is here.