These Spanish sauté potatoes are so good! Cooked slowly in olive oil and stock along with onions, peppers and garlic then lightly flavoured with smoked paprika, they're so so moreish and the perfect side dish with Spanish meals.
This recipe for Spanish sauté potatoes, also known as patatas a lo pobre or poor man's potatoes, is a meal inspired by holidays in Spain. We love going to Spain and we especially love the Spanish food. We often go to Andalucia and so many restaurants ask what side we'd like, chips or Spanish sauté potatoes?
I love chips but when I'm in Spain, I usually choose Spanish potatoes. They're not always the same. Sometimes they taste as if they've been cooked in stock. They're full of flavour and fall apart as you put them on your fork. Sometimes they are really quite crispy and more like chips.
So what are these patatas a lo pobre like? Well, I've gone for flavour by adding stock but also used quite a bit of olive oil. They are rich and tasty and make a brilliant Spanish side dish. If you love that smoked paprika flavour you get from lots of Spanish dishes then these have got that too. I sprinked on some smoked paprika at the end and a little goes a long way. It is optional though - these poor man's potatoes are just as tasty without!
What ingredients do you need for patatas a lo pobre?
To make these Spanish sauté potatoes you'll need:
- Potatoes - I use new potatoes which are waxy. They soak up the flavours but don't disintegrate like floury potatoes would. I don't peel them but you can if you want.
- Olive oil - You need to use olive oil for this recipe. It's important for the flavour.
- Onion - I use one large brown skinned onion.
- Bell pepper - I think green pepper is more traditional but I didn't have any green peppers so used a red one. Just use whatever colour pepper you want.
- Garlic - I like to use fresh garlic for this recipe.
- Stock - I used chicken stock but if you're vegetarian then use vegetable stock. Either are fine.
- Smoked paprika - This adds a lovely spanish flavour that always reminds me of chorizo. I love to add smoked paprika but if you don't have any or are not a huge fan of it then this will need be a lovely side dish without it.
- Seasoning - Just a pinch salt and black pepper.
- White wine vinegar - This is optional. You can stir a tablespoon in at the end if you want a slight hint of acidity. Or just if you're a big fan of vinegar!
How to make Spanish sauté potatoes
Do check out the recipe card further down the page for full details. First heat about 50ml of olive oil in a large sauté or frying pan (I used this 28cm non stick Sauté Server from Stellar). Add the sliced potatoes and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Then add the onions, pepper and garlic. Stir in and continue to sauté gently for about 5 more minutes. Pour in the stock and cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
The potatoes should be cooked through but if they are not then just continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Then drizzle over some more olive oil, seasoning and smoked paprika and sauté with the lid off until any excess stock has evaporated.
If you want you can drizzle over a little white wine vinegar at the end to add a touch of acidity and also sprinkle over some fresh herbs. Parsley goes really nicely.
Can you adapt the recipe?
This Spanish sauté potatoes recipe is fairly simple so there are not many ways to adapt it without changing it a lot. I made this a little healthier by using stock. If you want it to be a bit more decadent, just add extra olive oil instead. You can drain it off at the end before serving.
You can add bacon lardons or diced chorizo to the pan when cooking as well. If you're not a fan of peppers then just miss out the bell pepper.
If you want to make it spicier then add some diced chilli pepper along with the garlic.
What can you serve with patatas a lo pobre?
I love to serve these poor man's spanish potatoes as a side dish with chicken. They're delicious with this marinated griddled chicken. You can also serve them as part of a tapas spread along with Spanish chicken skewers or pinchos morunos.
Storing the leftovers
Any leftover patatas a lo pobre will keep well in the fridge for up to three days. Just store them in an airtight container. I usually just reheat in the microwave but you could add some oil to a pan and sauté them again to heat them through.
Can you freeze them?
Yes! They will keep well in the freezer for at least 3 months. Defrost them in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a pan or in the microwave.
Recipe
Patatas a lo pobre (Spanish sauté potatoes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 750 g new potatoes sliced about 2mm thick
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 pepper diced
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 100 ml stock use vegetable or chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar optional
Instructions
- Heat about 50ml of olive oil in a large pan. When it is medium hot, add the potatoes. Let them fry gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onions, garlic and bell pepper. Stir them into the potatoes. Continue to cook gently for another 5 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and put the lid on. Let the potatoes simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Check that the potatoes are cooked. If they're still a bit hard, cook for another 5 minutes with the lid on.
- Take the lid off. Stir in the smoked paprika and seasoning. Drizzle over the rest of the olive oil. Stir gently and cook with the lid off for another 5 minutes so any excess stock evaporates.
- Drizzle over the white wine vinegar if you want a little acidity in the dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley if you like too.
Notes
Nutrition
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Vince Fukes
I have made similar on the bbq in an iron skillet, and love them. Only issue is that I need a bigger skillet!
Corina Blum
That was the great thing about the pan that I used for these - It was fairly big and had straight sides rather than sloping ones which my frying pan has!