This is one of those dishes that seem super simple but where the homemade version never quite measures up to the one served in restaurants (or in this case, bars). I stopped making this at home a few years ago because my efforts, while always perfectly good, fell disappointingly short of what I was aiming for.
Was there some missing ingredient? Some magic technique? Did the Spanish hospitality business have access to a mystery supply of a unique variety of potato?
Satisfyingly, I think I've cracked it. The key: the right kind of potatoes (when Spanish recipes say 'new' they don't mean what we understand to be 'new potatoes' in English; they just mean ones that have been harvested relatively recently); cook the potatoes in their skins and peel them afterwards; use a lot of oil; add the onion and parsley just before serving.
Ingredients
700 g of white potatoes (Maris piper work well)
1 teaspoon of coarsely ground salt
100 ml of good quality olive oil
30 ml of sherry vinegar
100 g of mild onion
plenty of fresh parsley (about 2 tablespoons?)
Method
- Steam or boil the potatoes in their skins until just done. Peel, chop into large chunks (about 2 cm).
- Combine the potatoes, salt, oil and vinegar in a large bowl.
- Roughly chop the onion (it's there for flavour, not to be eaten), finely chop the parsley and add to the potatoes just before you serve.
