Patatas Rellenas Asturianas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy cazuela or braising pan, 28-30cm
• •Small spoon or melon baller
• •Shallow frying pan
• •Two shallow dishes for flour and egg

Instructions

1. 1

   Hollow the potatoes

   Cut a thin slice from one long side of each potato so it sits steady, then hollow the other side with a small spoon or melon baller, leaving walls about 1cm thick. Keep the scooped potato pieces in cold water; a handful will go into the sauce and the rest can be saved for soup. Salt the hollowed potatoes lightly inside.

2. 2

   Cook the sofrito

   Warm 4 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion with a pinch of salt over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until soft, dark gold, and sweet. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the jamón, grated tomato, and white wine. Cook until the tomato loses its raw edge and the pan is thick, not watery. This sofrito, the slow onion base, is the flavor of the filling, so don't hurry it.

   Jamón is salty. Taste the filling before adding more salt, or the broth will end up sharp and over-seasoned.
3. 3

   Fill and coat

   Stir the parsley into the sofrito and let it cool for 5 minutes so it thickens. Pack the filling into the hollow of each potato, pressing it in firmly but not mounding it high. Put the flour in one shallow dish and the beaten eggs in another. Dip the filled opening first into flour, then into egg, coating the rim well.

4. 4

   Fry filled side first

   Heat 1cm olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Set each potato in the oil filled side down first and leave it alone until the egg sets and turns golden, about 2 minutes. Then turn the potatoes carefully and brown the other sides lightly. This is the seal. Move too early and the stuffing escapes.

5. 5

   Build the broth

   Transfer the potatoes to a wide cazuela or heavy pot, filled side up. Pour off excess frying oil, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pan, and add a small handful of the reserved scooped potato pieces. Stir them for a minute, then add the broth or water, saffron, bay leaf, and a little black pepper. Scrape up the browned bits and pour everything around the potatoes.

6. 6

   Braise gently

   Bring the liquid just to a simmer, cover partly, and cook gently for 35 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides into the potatoes without force. Keep the bubble low; a hard boil knocks the seal loose and clouds the sauce. Shake the pot now and then instead of stirring.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Rest the potatoes off the heat for 10 minutes so the sauce settles and clings. Taste the broth for salt only at the end, because the jamón gives itself slowly. Serve two potatoes per person in shallow bowls, with saffron broth spooned around them and a little parsley over the top.

Chef Tips

• •Use firm waxy potatoes of the same size, not large floury baking potatoes. Floury ones crack in the broth and small uneven ones cook at different speeds.
• •If good fresh tomatoes are poor, use canned crushed tomato. Asturias is not asking you to pretend a pale tomato has flavor. The filling will be a little softer, so cook it down until thick.
• •Dry-cured ham can stand in for jamón serrano. Sweet sandwich ham cannot; it brings water and sugar, not cured depth.
• •The filled side goes into the oil first. Pésalo, no lo adivines for the ingredients, then trust your eyes here: the egg cap should be golden and firm before you turn the potato.
• •These are good with Asturian sidra, poured cold, or with a simple green salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar.

Advance Preparation

• •The sofrito can be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator; bring it back to room temperature before filling the potatoes.
• •The potatoes can be hollowed up to 4 hours ahead and kept covered in cold water, then dried well before filling.
• •The finished dish can be made a few hours ahead and reheated gently in its sauce. Add a splash of water if the broth has thickened too much.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)