Read in Catalan

Potatoes are possibly one of the most versatile ingredients in the world, used in all manner of ways in all manner of recipes. This week, chef Oscar Manresa of Barcelona's Casa Leopoldo is going to show us one you might not have come across before, from the Catalan county of La Garrotxa: the patata d'Olot (Olot potato). Like a good roast potato, it's crispy on the outside, but soft inside. Then you've got a meat filling - Oscar has gone for a version with bolognese. Why not give them a try on your next cheat day?

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • minced (ground) meat - 400g / 14oz
  • onion - 1
  • tomato - 2 small
  • rosemary - small branch
  • potatoes - 4
  • eggs - 2
  • olive oil

Oscar uses 50% beef, 50% pork for his meat, but you can experiment to see what you like most. For the potatoes, you need a variety with a bit of something to it: for the recipe to work they need to be reasonably large, and to soften while frying but not fall apart. Olive oil is preferable in terms of flavour, but it doesn't have to be of the highest quality. To use less, you can choose a smaller frying pan and make more batches.

Recipe:

  1. Cut your potatoes into slices about half a centimetre (quarter of an inch) thick
  2. Pour enough oil into a frying pan to have a thick layer cover the bottom
  3. Heat the oil so it's lightly bubbling (see video)
  4. Add the potatoes - they all need to be in the oil, so you might need to fry them in batches
  5. Fry the potatoes until they're soft, but not falling apart, nor taking on any colour
  6. Remove the slices from the oil and let them cool and drain
  7. Meanwhile, finely dice an onion and finely chop or grate your tomatoes
  8. Add them into another pan with a splash of olive oil
  9. Once the onions start to soften a little, add the minced meat
  10. Break up the meat and mix it with the onions and tomatoes
  11. Add the rosemary and leave it all simmering until the meat is cooked through
  12. Season the bolognese to taste
  13. Separate the egg whites from the yolks (which are not needed) and whisk them up
  14. To make the final patates d'Olot
    1. Take a slice of potato
    2. Add a small spoonful of the sauce to the middle
    3. Top it with another slice of roughly the same size
    4. Press around the sides of the potatoes to help them bind together, as if you were sealing pastry
    5. Place each in the egg whites in turn
    6. Fry each until golden brown
    7. Repeat
  15. Serve, perhaps with a green salad