Patatas a la riojana: potato and chorizo stew

Ingredients

• 1 kg waxy potatoes, broken into chunks by the cascar method — insert a small knife and twist, do not cut cleanly
• 300 g chorizo riojano, semi-cured variety from La Rioja, sliced into rounds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2–3 piquillo peppers or fresh red peppers, sliced
• 1 tsp pimentón, sweet or bittersweet
• olive oil
• water, enough to cover — the stew should be slightly soupy
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 strip dried guindilla pepper
• salt
• crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. 1
   Warm a generous film of olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium flame. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft and translucent — no colour should develop. Add the garlic and sliced peppers and continue cooking until the peppers have softened. The nose confirms readiness: a sweet, faintly fruity aroma with no raw sharpness.
2. 2
   Add the chorizo riojano and let it render for several minutes. The fat should turn a deep orange-red and coat the base of the pot. The eye confirms readiness: the oil around the chorizo is visibly red-tinted from the paprika and fat release.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Push the solids to one side and add the pimentón directly to the hot oil. Allow it no more than 30 seconds — it scorches instantly and will turn bitter. The moment it blooms and releases its fragrance, pour in enough water to cover the contents generously. The sizzle as the liquid hits the pan is the cook's cue to move without hesitation.
4. 4
   Add the broken potato chunks, the bay leaf, and the strip of dried guindilla. Season with salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. The breaking of the potatoes — the cascar technique — is what gives the broth its body: the ragged edges release starch into the liquid as they cook. Do not stir frequently; the pieces must hold their shape. Cook until a potato chunk offers no resistance when pressed gently against the side of the pot — the touch tells the cook they are done.
5. 5
   Remove from the heat. Allow the stew to rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. The broth will continue to thicken as the starch settles and the flavours integrate. The surface should carry a faint red-orange sheen from the chorizo fat. Taste and adjust for salt before serving in deep bowls with crusty bread.