Skip to main content
LoginSign Up
Tuscan Braised Potatoes (Patate in Umido)

Tuscan Braised Potatoes (Patate in Umido)

By Rose HattabaughApril 8, 2019

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour

This hearty vegetable stew is based on a recipe in “Autentico” by Rolando Beramendi. The potatoes are cooked using a technique that's often employed with risotto: the liquid is incorporated in multiple additions. This concentrates flavors while using the potatoes' natural starch to create a sauce that clings lightly to the chunks. We liked the flavor backbone of chicken broth, but you could make this dish vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth. Patate in umido is an excellent accompaniment to roasted chicken, pork or seafood.

Tip

Don't use a narrow pot; the wide diameter of a Dutch oven allows for more rapid evaporation of liquid. Also, don't use lower-starch potatoes, such as red, white or Yukon Gold potatoes. Russets are the best choice, as their starchiness gives them a light, tender texture when cooked and lends the sauce a velvety quality.

Ingredients
  • ¼

    cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

  • 2

    small red onions, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 2

    pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

  • 1

    14 1/2-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand

  • 2 ½

    cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

  • ½

    teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 8

    inch sprig fresh rosemary

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ½

    cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Step 1

In a large Dutch oven over medium, combine the oil, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato starch that coats the bottom of the pot starts to brown, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the tomatoes,1 cup of broth, the pepper flakes, rosemary and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer over medium-high, then distribute the potatoes in an even layer.

Cook, occasionally scraping along the bottom of the pot with a silicone spatula and gently folding the mixture, for 10 minutes; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a steady simmer.

Step 3

Add 1/2 cup of the remaining broth and cook, occasionally scraping and folding, for another 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup broth in 2 additions in the same way, cooking for only 5 minutes after the final addition and stirring gently so the potatoes don't break up. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Stir in half the basil, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the rosemary, then transfer to a bowl, drizzle with additional oil and sprinkle with the remaining basil.

Featured in