It is really true that sometimes it is enough to combine very few ingredients to create a dish with an unmistakable taste. The potatoes in a Neapolitan-style pan, a recipe that comes from another time, when small masterpieces were created in the kitchen with the limited tools available.
The baked potatoes, handed down from my grandmother to my mother, are more a concept than a real recipe, because they can be prepared in many different ways. The only certainty are the ingredients, simple, but with infinite possibilities: the potatoes, the onions, I tomatoes and theOrigan, true protagonist of childhood memories, with its scent that filled the house at the stroke of lunchtime.
Potatoes in the pan
To prepare this recipe you can use both fresh tomatoes, large ones for sauce, and peeled tomatoes.
Ingredients for 4 people
1.5 kg potatoes
350 g onions
750 g tomatoes
Origan
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Method
Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into slices of about half a centimeter. Slice the onions and tomatoes.
Grease a pan with extra virgin olive oil and create layers with the potatoes, onion and tomatoes. Season each layer with salt, pepper, plenty of oregano and oil.
Bake in the oven at 170 ° C for about an hour and a half, until a crust forms on the surface. Keep an eye on cooking and add a little water to the pan to prevent it from drying out too much.
Depending on the family and location, the process can change. In the'Agro Nocerino-Sarnese, for example, the definition "potatoes in a pan" generally refers to potatoes cooked in a pan (or better in a pan) in San Marzano tomato sauce. A little extra virgin olive oil, sliced or diced potatoes, onion or garlic, oregano, tomatoes, a glass of water, salt, pepper, to be cooked over medium heat with the lid on for about 20-30 minutes.
Pasta and potatoes in a pan
Potatoes in a pan could easily be a single dish, perhaps enriching them with mozzarella or cheese, but there is a version that will immediately enter your heart and your recipe book. The one with the pasta, preferably penne, mixed pasta or broken spaghetti (yes, you read that right).
In this case the recipe is prepared in a saucepan or pan with high sides. The result could be apt, just like in the case of pasta, potatoes and provola of the Neapolitan tradition, or more soupy, depending on personal taste.
Ingredients for 4 people
1 kg potatoes
750 tomatoes for gravy or peeled
350 g onions
300 g pasta
Origan
salt
extra virgin olive oil
Method
Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into slices about half a centimeter thick. Thinly slice onions and tomatoes.
Grease the pan with extra virgin olive oil and start creating layers with the potatoes, onions, tomatoes and raw pasta, remembering to season each layer with salt, oregano and oil. Once the layers are complete, add a glass of water.
Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more or less water, if necessary, to make it more or less soupy.
When cooked, let it rest for a few minutes and serve. Don't you already feel at home?
