Patatas Revolconas

patatas revolcanas

Patatas Revolcanos (tumbled or rolled potatoes – perhaps like lava flowing downhill) is a simple pork and potato dish from Central Spain, typically Ávila, Salamanca, Cáceres and Toledo. The potatoes are roughly mashed with pimentón de la Vera and Torreznos de Soria (a stand alone tapas dish of cured, fried pork belly cut into pieces) are served on top. Alternate versions of Patatas Revolcanos can be served with pieces of lardon like fried bacon. This dish probably originated as a farm worker’s lunch, cooked outdoors and in the fields, sometimes with a fried egg on top, a bit like migas.

Torreznos de Soria:

750g panceta (Pork Belly)
a few sprinkled teaspoons pimentón de la Vera dulce
350g coarse sea salt
2 cloves garlic
a splash of water

panceta

To make Torreznos de Soria, first you need to adobar (cure) some panceta. Buy an evenly cut piece of pork belly, about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick. Don’t score the skin side!

adobar

Sprinkle a layer of coarse sea salt into a dish that’s bigger than the meat. Lay the panceta in the salt and cover it with the remainder. Press the salt into the pork belly and then refridgerate for about 4 hours. After this time, the salt in the bottom of the dish should be wet. Wipe all the salt off the panceta, but do not wash it!  Rub the meat all over with a sprinkling of pimentón de la Vera dulce. It helps if you wet your hands slightly, or the powdered pimentón will clump together. Chop 2 cloves of garlic and then make a paste (with a pinch of sea salt), using a mortar and pestle. Rub half the garlic onto each side followed by a second layer of pimentón. See here for a step by step video. Ideally the panceta should be hung up to air dry in a cold and well ventilated room at about 4ºC, for a few days. Easy if you live up a Spanish mountain, but alternately, a rack in the fridge will achieve a reasonable result. Pimentón has natural bacterial inhibitors and can work as an antioxidant to reduce rancidity in cured meats, so as well as adding flavour, it provides protection and is often used for curing ham and pork.

adobada

Cinco días después (5 days later) the belly will have shrunk a little and firmed up.

trozos

Cut the panceta into short strips for Patatas Revolcanos, but if making Torreznos de Soria to eat on their own, longer strips would be correct.

en aceite

Place the pieces of pork skin side down in cold olive oil or Manteca de Cerdo (pig butter – lard). Turn the heat on, but keep it very low, roughly around 3 and definitely below the halfway mark.

crocante

Cooking the skin very slowly makes it pop and blister in little bubbles and this leads to crunchy pork. It may take 40 minutes or so and it will spit, so use a screen over the pan, if you have one.

torreznos de soria

When the skin looks perfectly crispy, fry the sides and bottom of the pork. Reserve to a plate and keep the fat/oil.

Patatas Revolconas (serves 3):

300g panceta adobada
500g potatoes (cut normally for boiled or mashed)
3 cloves garlic (sliced)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera dulce
1/2 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera picante
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper

patatas

Add the bayleaves, salt and water to the potatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and put a lid on the pot to keep the potatoes warm.

ajos

Using the pork oil and fat, gently fry the ajos laminados (sliced garlic) until they take a little colour, then reserve.

pimentón

Sprinkle a teaspoon of pimentón de la Vera dulce and half a teaspoon of pimentón de la Vera picante into the frying pan.

cocinando pimentón

Stir the pimentón into the oil and cook gently for a minute or two.

patatas con pimentón

Pour the flavoured oil over the boiled potatoes.

puré de patatas

Mash roughly with a fork – these should not be perfectly soft and fluffy like mashed potato – this is a rustic dish. Add a little more olive oil if necessary.

patatas con torreznos

Serve the potatoes with sliced torreznos and garlic on top. Season with cracked black pepper and sprinkle on a little chopped parsley for decoration (though this is not traditional). I recommend drinking a glass or two of  Enemigo Mio, a Garnacha, from the Jumilla DO region in Murcia, with the Patatas Revolcanos.

beicon

…and if you have any panceta adobada leftover, slice it thinly and fry it in olive oil – it makes delicious bacon!