Riojan Potatoes with Chorizo and Chile

I confess we had this as a meal--but it might be better as tapas. Not because it is not good enough to eat a big bowlful of it--oh it is--but because to me this is not a particularly healthy meal. The carbs completely outweigh the fiber and protein--and the protein is unhealthy flavoring protein (chorizo) as opposed to solid stick to your ribs protein (chicken, beans, etc).

It does not help that I have very little self control around good potatoes. (And on that note I would like to add that this year I discovered that organic potatoes blow the pants off regular ones--I highly recommend choosing organic for potatoes.)


But there it is, I wanted to make it, I did not want to fiddle with a tapas meal on a weeknight meal, so instead we had a meal that fell a little short of my usual standards. And I do not regret it for a moment.


Riojan Potatoes with Chorizo and Chile
Closely adapted from The New Spanish Table, Anya von Bremzen

1 large dried pimiento choricero or ancho chile pepper (I used the ancho), stemmed, seeded, torn into large pieces
3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes (I highly recommend using organic potatoes--they taste SO much better)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-large onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green or yellow (I prefer the sweeter yellow) bell pepper, thinly sliced
6-8 oz sweet Spanish style chorizo, sliced into rounds (if you use a particularly dry sausage, I recommend dicing instead)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t sweet smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
approx. 2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Soak the dried pepper in 1/2 cup very hot water until softened, about 30 minutes. Then place it in a blender and puree it. Set aside.

Chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks and place in a bowl of water.

Heat a 4-6 quart Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes, then add the sliced peppers also. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook another 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Drain the potatoes and quickly pat them dry (don't worry too much about it). Add them to the pot with the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring. Add the wine, paprika and bay leaf and stir. Add the pureed rehydrated pepper along with enough chicken stock to barely cover the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer.

Cook until the potatoes are tender and some are starting to fall apart, about 30 minutes. Remove several potatoes and mash them. Add them back into the pot to thicken it. Let the stew sit for 10 minutes before serving, sprinkled with parsley.