Stewed Potatoes
( Patate a Spezzatino - Patate Aggrassate)
The patate aggrassate was the most popular contorno- side dish- that we served at the Focacceria Palermitana on Ave U in Brooklyn, NY to go with many of our specialties.
Some customers liked the stewed potatoes so much that if they were not served with their order, they would order it separately. This dish was their favorite because it reminded them of the taste of the potatoes cooked by their mothers or grandmothers.
The patate a spezzatino are fragrant and good tasting, rich in nutrients and contains no fat except for a few tablespoons of olive oil.
The stewed potatoes are easy to make: you can place all the ingredients in a pot and cook for 15 to 25 minutes or follow the easy suggestion further down, to make this flavorful, nutritious and traditional Sicilian dish.
- Serving Size4
- VegetablesStewed Potatoes - Aggrassate
Ingredients
- 2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut bite size, place in a bowl and cover with water to prevent oxidation
1 large onion, coarsely diced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
½ teaspoon of tomato paste or ½ cup of canned or fresh diced tomato
½ cup of chopped parsley
pinch of saffron threads, crushed and diluted in some water
salt and pepper to taste
a pot with warm water
Instructions
Place the potatoes in a colander to drain.
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame and sauté the onions until they are translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste or tomatoes and the potatoes. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to coat the potatoes with the oil-onion-tomato combination.
Cover the potatoes with warm water and add half of the parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Keep at high heat until it boils, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Test with a fork if potatoes are tender and continue cooking until they are ready. Add salt if required and from time to time add some warm water if needed, stirring occasionally.
When the stewed potatoes are cooked, stir in the saffron, the remaining parsley and remove from heat; let it sit a few minutes before serving.