Potato S.O.S

 

On another watery, grey October evening here in Dublin, I was hankering after some Spanish flavours to brighten things up. The plan was to try to make my own version of patatas bravas. But somehow the weather had seeped into the potatoes and they just weren't cooperating. I had them on the stove to par boil them before frying, but after just 10 minutes the kerrs pinks were taking on water fast! Any hope of frying them was long gone as they descended  into mash quicker than channel 4 can make new food programmes.

But not all hope was lost, I thought maybe we could save these tubers with a hint of Spain still intact. So instead we got Spanish smash!

5 potatoes, peeled and chopped
lug of olive oil
half tin of chopped tomatoes
half tsp of smoked paprika, add more to taste
pinch of salt

Put the potatoes into salted water and bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and rinse.

Add a lug of olive oil to a pot and tip in the potatoes, and start to mash. While they are still lumpy add the tomatoes, paprika and salt. Mash again to remove any lumps and thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Then start to whisk the potatoes until they have smooth, silky texture.

I served them here with a spinach salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette and some Parmesan crisps for added crunch.

To make the Parmesan crisps, simply spread some grated Parmesan on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Arrange the cheese into a circular shape and place in the oven at 190C for 10-15 minutes.

The flavours all worked really well together.The sweet tartness of the tomatoes with the smoky paprika coming through really bounced off the zing from the lemon and the depth of the Parmesan. A job well done saving them from a watery doom!