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Portuguese Wine-Braised Potatoes with Garlic, Bay and Chilies

Portuguese Wine-Braised Potatoes with Garlic, Bay and Chilies

By Courtney HillApril 9, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour
  • Active time plus cooling
    25 minutes active

The traditional way of cooking potatoes with these classic Portuguese flavors is to slow-roast them in the oven or long-braise them on the stovetop alongside meat. But in “Authentic Portuguese Cooking,” author Ana Patuleia Ortins includes a quicker, meat-free version that yields a wonderfully delicious side. We adapted her recipe, opting to use a mixture of wine and chicken broth for simmering (wine alone tended to toughen the exteriors of the potatoes) and substituting jarred crushed peppers—the type often smeared onto Italian sandwiches—for the spicy Portuguese red pepper paste called massa de malagueta. If you cannot find crushed peppers, simply use ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes instead.

Tip

Don’t stir the potatoes too vigorously or they’ll break apart and make the sauce gluey. Aim to keep the large pieces of potato as whole as possible. Also, don’t reduce the sauce too far; as the potatoes sit off heat, they’ll continue to absorb the sauce.

Ingredients
  • 2

    pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1- to 1½-inch chunks

  • 2

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 1

    bay leaf

  • 1½

    teaspoons jarred crushed peppers (see headnote) or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1¼

    teaspoons smoked paprika

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ¼

    cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1

    small yellow onion, finely chopped

  • ¾

    cup dry white wine

  • ¾

    cup low-sodium chicken broth

  • ¼

    cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Step 1

In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the garlic, bay, crushed peppers, paprika, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Step 2

In a large saucepan over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until fully softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the potato mixture, then add the wine and broth.

Bring to a boil over medium-high, then cover, reduce to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance, about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Uncover and cook over medium, now stirring more often and adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, until the liquid has thickened and lightly coats the potatoes, about 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay and stir in the parsley. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.

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