You know those days that your kitchen is empty, the supermarket is closed or you have no desire to go shopping and you must prepare something to eat, well I am going to provide you with the solution. The poor potato is not just for this, I assure you that even if you were to put it in front of a most famous person, it will serve you excellently, it is that the humble potato is not only delicious but helpful in an infinity of cases.

In order to elaborate this dish I am sure you will already have everything necessary in your kitchen. Especially if you have read my advice about – What you should not be without in your kitchen -- . It is economical and delicious and at first it will seem of little interest, but I assure you when you have them prepared and try them you will change your mind.
I am going to give you the recipe for Widow’s Potatoes, which is how we here call the dishes that have very few ingredients. It is just for these potatoes but with the same recipe preparing it in the same way you can change things by adding different ingredients and its flavor will change, it all depends on your imagination.

Ingredients for four persons.

4 1/2 pounds of potatoes
½ Tablespoon paprika
1 Teaspoon of salt

Potatoes with artichoke	Potatoes with mea

For el sofrito
½ cup of oil
1 green pepper.
2 tomatoes.
1 medium sized onion.
2 cloves of garlic.
I sprig of fresh thyme

Cut the pepper, tomatoes and onion into small pieces. Put a frying pan over low heat and add the oil. When it has warmed add the ingredients and half tablespoon of salt. Let cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes.

When the sofrito is prepared put it into a casserole dish and add the potatoes the we have peeled and cut into chunks, the paprika, the other half tablespoon of salt, and cover with water. The water must be enough to cover the potatoes.

Place them over a medium heat and bring them to a boil, then lower the flame to low.

In a mortar crush the garlic with the thyme. When it is well crushed add it to the dish.

They will be ready in about 20 minutes. This time depends a lot on the type of potato you use. For this reason it is important to test them from time to time, not only to see if they are tender but also to see if it has the right amount of salt.

An important trick for this dish, when you cut the potatoes you should begin by inserting the knife and break off the chunks instead of slicing them. Remember the starch of the potato is what makes the sauce thicker and breaking the potato in this way provides more starchy surface to thicken the dish. If you notice the dish is too watery, take out a few of the potatoes and mash them with a fork and return them to the casserole. The dish will be thicker and more appetizing.

If you would like to eat these with something more, here are a few suggestions.

For vegetarians add some artichokes

For a seafood flavor add ½ lbs. baby clams

The traditional dish is with pieces of desalted cod

A la riojana with pieces of chorizo

For something a little more substantial, it can be prepared with pieces of meat, whatever type you prefer. Beef is the best but keep in mind if the meat is not tender it is best to add it to the potatoes already cooked.

The moment to add these ingredients is when you mix the potatoes to the sofrito.

Whatever option you select it will be a hit.