Patatas a la riojana, a hearty mixture of potatoes and chorizo, is one of the signature dishes of La Rioja, a wine-growing region in northern Spain, where it is traditionally cooked in an iron pot over an open fire. Many Spanish cooks insist that the potatoes should be roughly broken with the hands—not cut with a knife—so that they release more of their starch.
La Rioja–Style Potatoes
1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil, or as needed
4 large new potatoes, about 2 lb. (1 kg) total weight, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) chunks
8 oz. (250 g) Spanish-style semicured chorizo sausage
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell or piquillo pepper, seeded and chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. pimentón dulce (sweet Spanish smoked pepper)
1 small fresh red chile, seeded and minced
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the potatoes and sauté, stirring often, until pale gold, 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Add the chorizo to the pan and fry, turning as needed, until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Using tongs, transfer the chorizo to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces.
Add the onion to the pan and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Add the bell pepper, garlic, pimentón and chile and sauté until the onion has absorbed all the spices, about 5 minutes longer.
Return the potatoes and chorizo to the pan and pour in 1 cup (250 ml) water. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve warm. Serves 8.
Find more than 100 recipes for the simple, unassuming, and satisfying food of the Spanish countryside in Rustic Spanish by Paul Richardson.
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4 comments
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As a Riojan, I can tell you this is NOT how patatas a la riojana are made. Everything is wrong: the ingredients, the recipe, and the presentation.
1) Riojan potatoes are a stew, not a dry dish. The pepper to use are pimiento choricero, which can be substituted by ñoras, NEVER red bell pepper and much less pimiento del Piquillo (!!!!).
2) Never use fresh red chile, this is NOT Spanish cuisine, it’s Mexican. We use cayenne pepper, small and dry. Patatas a la riojana DOES NOT CONTAIN cayenne pepper or any other spicy chili-type.
I doubt Mr. Richardson has ever been to La Rioja. And if he has, he certainly should have paid more attention.
3) The white wine, key in Riojan cuisine, is missing. and so is the bay leaf (laurel).
4) All the cooking, from beginning to end, is absolutely wrong. We do not use a pan, we use a pot – this is a stew.
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