Traditional Recipe for Rioja-Style Potatoes with Chorizo (Patatas a la Riojana)
Rioja-style potatoes with chorizo (Patatas a la Riojana) is a dish from the La Rioja countryside. It is a traditional main meal of very humble origins — made with potatoes, chorizo pepper, chorizo sausage, paprika, and bay leaves.
Equipment
- 1 large pot (12 inches/30cm) with 4-inch (10 cm) deep sides.
- Knife and cutting board
- Mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions diced fine
- 35 oz. / 1 kg potatoes to stew around 4 large potatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled, whole
- 1 tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon worth of crushed dried chorizo peppers or sub for dried Ñora peppers
- 4 cups of water
- 4 bay leaves
- 17.5 oz / 500g of raw Spanish chorizo or Mexican chorizo plus add ½ tsp extra of smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-Cooking Note: If using the chorizo pepper, soak it in hot water for 20 minutes. Once it is rehydrated, remove the seeds and stem and use a mortar and pestle to grind it into small pieces. For convenience, we used a Ñora pepper instead as we know chorizo peppers can be difficult to source outside of Spain (See more information on Chorizo and Ñora peppers in the recipe article).1 tablespoon worth of crushed dried chorizo peppers
- Start by heating a good splash of olive oil in a large pot. Add the diced onion and cook until lightly brown (around 5 minutes).¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 large onions
- Use the side of a knife to crush the garlic and remove the skin. Add it to the pot with the browned onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.4 cloves of garlic
- Dice potatoes into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. Add the potatoes and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.35 oz. / 1 kg potatoes to stew
- Add the paprika, chorizo pepper (or Ñora pepper), and mix through.1 tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika
- Add the water and bay leaves and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the potatoes soften.4 cups of water, 4 bay leaves
- Dice the chorizo sausage into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces, add them to the pot. Simmer uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until you can see the rich paprika-infused oil from the sausage has released. (It will color the stew a rich orange/red color).17.5 oz / 500g of raw Spanish chorizo , Salt and pepper
- Serve with plenty of fresh bread to mop up the sauce (optional).
Video
Notes
Cooking Notes:
- If the stew begins to dry out during cooking, add some more cold water. Add a little at a time, and stir through the ingredients until you have the desired consistency.
- Patatas Riojana is not typically spicy, however, you can use Spiced (Picante) smoked paprika or a little cayenne pepper to give it some extra heat. If you’re using Mexican chorizo, this will already be spicier than Spanish chorizo.
- Do not add too much seasoning until near the end of the cooking process. There is already a lot of salt in the chorizo.