This Spanish potatoes and peppers recipe makes poor man’s potatoes – or patatas o lo pobre or patatas pobres in Spanish – a deliciously addictive and rustic dish of potatoes, onions and peppers or capsicums fried in extra virgin olive oil and garlic, seasoned with little else but sea salt and ground cracked black pepper, and showered with fresh flat-leaf parsley.
One of our best recipes with potatoes, this recipe for Spanish poor man’s potatoes, patatas o lo pobre or patatas pobres, makes a Spanish potatoes and peppers dish which translates to ‘poor man’s potatoes’. In Spain the rustic potato dish is cooked in the home as well as served at tavernas and bars as tapas or raciones, a slightly larger appetiser-size portion than the snack-size tapas.
Like many Spanish tapas dishes, the culinary culture of grazing on tapas, and Spanish specialties such as gazpacho, patatas o lo pobre or poor man’s potatoes has its provenance in Southern Spain, in the region of Andalusia or Andalucia, one of our favourite parts of Spain. The dish is said to have originated in the city of Granada, home to the enchanting Alhambra.
That’s not surprising, because while Granada gets scorching hot in summer, in winter it’s one of the coldest places in Andalucia. The Sierra Nevada or ‘snowy mountain range’ is close by, which is a popular winter destination – and there are few more warming dishes to tuck into fresh off the slopes than a plate of fried potatoes. Make extra and use leftovers to make this penna pasta with sausage, potatoes, peppers and onions.
Spanish Potatoes and Peppers Recipe for Poor Man’s Potatoes or Patatas Pobres
Make this Spanish potatoes and peppers dish and you’ll understand why it’s a dish that’s both cooked in homes, as well as served at tapas bars, tavernas and restaurants. Home-cooked, the potato dish is a fantastic accompaniment to roast chicken and meats. You can serve a big bowl or serving dish of the fried potatoes and peppers in the centre of the table as I did after I made these.
Served in a tapas bar, taverna or restaurant, the oily (it’s extra virgin olive oil, so don’t worry!) and hearty carb-heavy dish of Spanish potatoes fried in extra virgin olive oil with onions, garlic and peppers is perfect drinking food. It’s made for soaking up the booze and is guaranteed to prevent hangovers.
If you’re a lover of potatoes, there are so many hearty, comforting and soul-nourishing Spanish potatoes dishes, everything from potato croquettes or croquetas de patata y chorizo, which have a light crunchy exterior encasing fluffy chorizo-flavoured mash potatoes, and tortilla española or tortilla de patatas, a Spanish potato omelette, which we love to make with chorizo.
That Spain has so many delicious potato dishes can be explained by history and culture. Spain was the entry point for potatoes arriving from the New World, as it was Spanish-sponsored explorers who brought potatoes from the Americas. Plus no other European country centres food at the heart of their social life, has such a lively late-night culture, and knows how to drink and party like the Spanish, which requires drinking food to soak up the vino and vermouth! 
I also realised that we’ve never shared a recipe for patatas bravas, one of our favourite Spanish potato dishes, and I have no idea why, but I’m going to fix that soon. Just a few tips to making this Spanish potatoes and peppers dish for poor man’s potatoes.
Tips to Making this Spanish Potatoes and Peppers Recipe for Poor Man’s Potatoes
I only have a few tips to making this Spanish potatoes and peppers recipe for poor man’s potatoes or patatas o lo pobre or patatas pobres, as it’s super easy to make and comes together quickly.
The first thing you need to do is to boil whole baby potatoes in a pot of salted water over high heat until they’re almost cooked, around 10 minutes or so. Do take care not to over-cook the potatoes, as you need to finish them in the fry-pan or skillet, which means you want the potatoes to be firm and only a little tender.
While the potatoes are boiling, you can cook the bell peppers or capsicums as we call them in Australia. You’ll need to heat half the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat until shimmering then add the pounded garlic cloves, onion slices and capsicums or peppers.
I recommend a mix of green, red and yellow capsicums, if you can source them, as I love the colour combo. I remember some tapas bars used to cut the peppers into quite small pieces but I prefer them thickly sliced for the colour as much as flavour.
Initially you need to stir the peppers to fully coat them in the olive oil, then you only need to stir them occasionally until they’re cooked but remain quite firm, because you’ll put the lid on the pan which will soften the peppers/capsicums.
When the potatoes are almost done (remember, you want them firm as they’ll continue to cook in the pan), transfer the fried onion and capsicum slices to a casserole pot and pop the lid on so they continue to soften, so you can finish the potatoes in the same fry pan. This means the potatoes can cook in that flavoursome oil and you’ll save a pan.
After you drain the potatoes, transfer them to a cutting board, and carefully cut each potato into four slices. Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan that you cooked the onions and capsicums in, then, when the olive oil is shimmering, transfer the potato slices to the fry pan.
Sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and grind on some cracked black pepper, turn the heat to high, and fry the potatoes until they’re just starting to brown, then turn them over to do the other side. When the potatoes are golden-brown, return the onions and capsicums to the fry pan, shower with chopped fresh parsley, and stir to combine well.
Don’t forget to taste your Spanish potatoes and peppers before serving, add more salt and pepper if you like to suit your palate, perhaps a sprinkle of ground paprika, then serve immediately with more fresh parsley, salt and pepper, or even chilli flakes on the table so your guests can help themselves.
I love to serve these Spanish potatoes as a side to plump juicy sausages, roast chicken or grilled meats, set aside a portion for a tapas spread, and use leftovers in a hearty pasta dish. I’ll serve that recipe soon. Enjoy!
Spanish Potatoes and Peppers Recipe for Poor Man’s Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g baby potatoes - scrubbed, skins on
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil - divided, good quality, preferably Spanish
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled, pounded
- 1 medium-sized purple onion - thickly sliced
- 1 green capsicum - thickly sliced
- 1 red capsicum - thickly sliced
- 1 yellow capsicum - thickly sliced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cracked black pepper
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley - roughly chopped
Instructions
- Boil the whole baby potatoes in a pot of salted water over high heat until they’re almost cooked, around 10 minutes or so, taking care not to over-cook the potatoes, as you’ll finish them in the fry pan; you want the potatoes to still be firm, but a little tender.
- While the potatoes are boiling, heat half the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat until shimmering then add the pounded garlic cloves, onion slices and mix of thickly-sliced green, red and yellow capsicums (bell peppers), stir to fully coat them in the olive oil, then stir occasionally until cooked but still firm. Put the lid on the pan until the potatoes are ready.
- When the potatoes are just about ready, transfer the fried onion and capsicum slices to a casserole pot and pop the lid on so they continue to soften, while you finish the potatoes.
- Drain the potatoes, transfer them to a chopping board, and cut each potato into four slices.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan you cooked the onions and capsicums in, and when the olive oil is shimmering, transfer the potato slices to the pan. Sprinkle on the salt and cracked black pepper, turn the heat to high, and fry the potatoes until they’re just starting to brown, then turn them over to do the other side.
- When the potatoes are golden-brown, return the onions and capsicums to the fry pan, shower with chopped fresh parsley, and stir to combine well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately with more fresh parsley, salt and pepper, ground paprika or chilli flakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Please do let us know in the comments below if you make this Spanish potatoes and peppers recipe for poor man’s potatoes, or patatas o lo pobre or patatas pobres, as we’d love to know how it turns out for you.
