Poor Man's Potatoes To Make A Rich Man Cry
A Special Guest recipe for Patatas a lo Pobre, and a new place to eat in Brixton
This week, friends, I am very excited to be sharing a SPECIAL GUEST RECIPE from my talented cousin (and chef) Rory Goulcher. Formerly a chef at Moro and Lucky & Joy in London, and the brains behind Dhaba London, Rory is my go-to expert on many a cooking question.
Rory shared this recipe with me in the summer of the first lockdown, when I had a large turbot on my hands, and needed something worthy to go with it. Patatas a lo Pobre means ‘Poor Man’s Potatoes’, which instantly appeals to me, as I am a cheapskate. My god they are good! The ultimate summertime accompaniment to fish, meat or a Spanish tortilla if you’re vegetarian - I think that, like me, once you’ve made these, you’ll be coming back to them again and again.
Rory says: “This is a dish I picked up from my time working at Moro, a firm staff favourite to prepare and to eat! It is essentially a delicious confit potato, flavoured with onions, peppers, lemon and paprika. Traditionally the oil used to confit the potatoes would be strained then used again and again, making this a super economical dish. Enjoyed in the summer, it is by no means light but it pairs excellently with grilled lamb or fish and a salad dressed with plenty of sherry vinegar.”
Patatas a lo Pobre
Serves 4, as a side
1kg cyprus potatoes
Fine salt
50ml olive oil
1 large Spanish onion
1 red romano pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon
1 litre sunflower or rapeseed oil
A handful of parsley
Smoked hot paprika, to finish
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large wedges - any thin pieces are likely to disintegrate into an oily (but delicious!) mash. Set a colander into your sink, place the cut potatoes inside then sprinkle over 1 tsp of fine salt. Carefully massage the salt into the potatoes then leave for 15 minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the dish.
Slice the onions and peppers into thick slices, around 2cm. Set a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat then pour in the olive oil. Add the sliced onions and peppers then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is important to not cook the onions and peppers too much at this stage so they retain some texture when they have finished cooking.
Once the onions and peppers have softened slightly, season with salt then add the thyme sprigs, bay and peeled garlic. Peel two strips from the lemon and add them to the pan, reserving the lemon for juicing later on.
Add the salted potatoes to the pan then pour over the sunflower oil so they are completely covered. Increase the heat slightly and stir frequently and carefully as the pan begins to gently bubble. As the potatoes are still raw at this stage, it's important to mix often to help distribute the heat and vegetables evenly around the pot.
After 5 minutes or so, you’ll feel the potatoes beginning to soften. It’s important to stop mixing so frequently now, as the potatoes may break apart. Reduce the heat so that the oil is barely bubbling, then cover with a circle of greaseproof paper.
Cook for 30 minutes, stirring only occasionally with a gentle folding motion. You can check the potatoes are cooked by inserting a skewer or small sharp knife into one, it should penetrate with barely any resistance. Once you're happy they are cooked, remove the pot from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes.
When you’re ready to serve, use a strainer to gently lift the potatoes, peppers and onions into a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the parsley then add most of it to the bowl along with the juice of ½ the lemon. Gently mix together, check the seasoning and add more salt if needed, then tip everything into a serving dish and sprinkle over smoked paprika to taste and the remaining parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Tip: Once the oil has cooled, pour through a fine strainer and use for your next batch of Patatas a lo Pobre, roasted potatoes or anything else really! Store the oil in a sealed jar/container in the fridge, or somewhere cool and dark.
Bottle + Rye, Brixton
The initial feeling upon hearing of a new wine bar opening in Brixton Village is THIS. But I am judging Bottle + Rye on the merits of its food and drinks, and we can’t blame one establishment for what has been a systemic problem of the last ten years can we!!!
I ate at Robin Gill’s (of magnificent Bermondsey Larder fame) Bottle + Rye with my friend Chloe a couple of weeks ago. Here are my thoughts:
The drinks at this establishment are quite simply class, and poured by an immensely talented bartender.
The fermented lemon martini is stupendously saline.
I’m no wine buff, but the selection was amazing. We tried a gorgeous rosé, a sparkling pinot noir and a mad orangey Pinot Blanc number from Slovenia.
The dishes coming out of the postage-stamp-sized kitchen are very impressive. The chef literally has a grill the size of a large laptop and manages to cook up a storm on it. How?
You gotta eat the anchovy, honey and butter toasts (above). Mamma mia, I am going to try to recreate these because they are TOO GOOD.
Another highlight was the simply perfect combination of sugar snap peas, chive oil and fromage blanc, and a raw scallop number of divine beauty.
The gooseberry and fig leaf éclair dessert was my favourite pudding I have had in a restaurant this summer.
Minus points for no toilets, but it’s always an adventure going for a wee and overhearing a posh lad from Windsor try to chat up a disinterested woman by telling her how tall she is. Keep walking, Felix.
See you again soon for a celebratory BONUS newsletter to commemorate WTYCT reaching 500 subscribers (thank you to each and everyone of you who read this). Inside will be caramelised apricot cupcakes, and much more.