Atascaburras Manchego

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mortar and pestle, or a broad mixing bowl with potato masher and wooden spoon
• •Wide 4-litre cooking pot
• •Small saucepan for the eggs
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Desalt the cod

   Brush away the loose surface salt and rinse the cod. Put it skin-side up in a non-reactive container, cover with at least 3 litres of cold water, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, changing the water every 8 hours. Thick pieces need the full 36 hours. To check it, cook a small flake in simmering water and taste it; the cod should remain pleasantly seasoned, not aggressively salty.

   Keep the cod refrigerated throughout the soak. Warm water speeds desalting unevenly and leaves the outside bland before the middle has released enough salt.
2. 2

   Cook the eggs

   Put the eggs in a small saucepan and cover them with cold water by 2cm. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool them promptly in cold water, then peel and cut each egg into quarters.

3. 3

   Cook potato and cod

   Put the potatoes in a wide pot with 2 litres of cold, unsalted water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 18 minutes. Lower the drained cod into the same pot and simmer gently for 6 minutes, until it separates into moist flakes. Lift out the cod. Continue cooking the potatoes for 4 to 8 minutes, until a knife passes through without resistance. Reserve 300ml of the cooking water, then drain the potatoes thoroughly.

4. 4

   Prepare the base

   Return the drained potatoes to the warm, empty pot for 2 minutes so their surface moisture can escape. Remove the cod skin and every bone, then separate the flesh into flakes. Keep about 75g of the broadest flakes for the top. Pound the garlic to a smooth paste in a large mortar, or crush it firmly against the side of a broad mixing bowl.

5. 5

   Pound until bound

   Add the warm potatoes to the garlic and pound them to a rough mash. Work in the remaining cod until no large pieces remain. Add 180ml olive oil in six small additions, pounding well after each one. Alternate the oil with 120ml warm cooking water, added one spoonful at a time. Continue pounding until the mash looks cohesive and glossy and a spoon leaves a furrow that slowly settles. If it remains stiff, add up to 80ml more cooking water. Pésalo, no lo adivines at the start, then let the potato tell you the final spoonful.

   If the reserved cooking water tastes too salty, use plain warm water instead. The cod should season the mash, not bully it.

   Don't use a blender or food processor. Fast blades overwork the potato starch and turn a coarse, spoonable mash into paste.
6. 6

   Taste and finish

   Taste before adding any salt. Add up to 2g only if the potatoes have left the mash flat. Spoon the atascaburras onto a broad earthenware platter, making a few shallow furrows across the surface. Arrange the egg quarters, walnut halves, and reserved cod flakes over it, then pour the remaining 20ml olive oil into the furrows. Serve warm or at room temperature with sturdy bread.

Chef Tips

• •Buy bacalao in thick pieces with an even ivory color and a clean sea smell. If you buy refrigerated cod already desalted, use 500g and begin with the cooking step; taste its poaching water before using it in the mash.
• •No bacalao where you are? Use 400g salted pollock, abadejo salado, and soak it exactly the same way. It is leaner and milder, so expect to use nearer the full 200ml of cooking water. Fresh cod is a last resort because it lacks the deep cured flavor that defines the dish.
• •Use a floury potato. Agria is common in Spain and russet works well abroad. A waxy potato resists the oil and leaves you with separate little pieces when the dish should bind.
• •A large mortar is traditional, but a broad bowl, sturdy potato masher, and wooden spoon do the work. Mash first, then beat firmly as the oil goes in. A blender is quick, and quick glue is still glue.
• •Serve with pan candeal or another firm white loaf and a young red from La Mancha. Keep the wine fresh and plain; this is shepherd food, not an audition.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin desalting the cod 24 to 36 hours ahead, keeping it covered with cold water in the refrigerator and changing that water every 8 hours.
• •The eggs can be boiled, peeled, and refrigerated one day ahead. Cut them shortly before serving so the yolks stay neat.
• •The mash can be prepared one day ahead and refrigerated separately from the egg, walnuts, and reserved cod. Reheat it gently with 30 to 60ml warm water, beating until supple, then add the toppings and finishing oil.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days. Do not freeze them; thawed potato turns grainy and releases the oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)