Potatoes ala Sofrito

These potatoes from Brownie Points are an all-time favorite of mine, although I've somehow never managed to post about them until now! They're tomato-y, saucy, and absolutely delicious. I think they're particularly good for breakfast or brunch (or breakfast-for-dinner), maybe with some sausages, eggs, and biscuits. Of course, they could also be tasty as a non-breakfast side dish.

Now, I love breakfast potatoes, but somehow just never manage to make them at home. Grating potatoes seems like too much work, especially in the morning. And many recipes for home fries or even potato pancakes/hash browns require boiling the potatoes briefly before frying to make sure they get cooked all the way through, adding an extra step that just isn't going to happen before noon. That means I often cube the potatoes but skip the blanching step, resulting in home fries that are burned on the outside and raw on the inside: ick. Frozen hash browns from a bag aren't much of a solution; at least in my experience, they turn out incredibly mushy.

These potatoes solve much of the home fries/hash browns problem, since the potatoes aren't cooked directly in the oil. The potatoes simmer along with the tomato-pepper sauce, cooking fully as the sauce reduces and thickens. That means you can get them perfectly done to your taste. They may not have the crispy crust of a perfectly fried hash brown, but they're every bit as tasty in their own way and much more "foolproof." You can also change up the sauce ingredients to fit your own taste.

Potatoes ala Sofrito (from Brownie Points, original post here)
Serves 2-3

1 slice bacon, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 whole roasted pepper
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 T sugar
Ground pepper, hot sauce, and/or thinly sliced scallions, to serve

1. Fry up the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. When it gets nice and crisp, scoop it out and reserve for another use (possibly just eating!).
2. Add the onion and salt to the bacon grease in the pan. Saute until soft.
3. Meanwhile, put the tomatoes, chicken stock, garlic and roasted pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Once the onions are soft and slightly golden, add the potatoes to the skillet. Add the tomato mixture and the sugar. Stir to combine, cover, and simmer for five minutes. Then remove the lid and cook until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add more chicken stock if you'd like the sauce to be more "saucy."
5. Serve with ground pepper, hot sauce, and/or thinly sliced scallions.

I'm also entering this post into the February Potato Ho Down, where you can submit your own potato recipes now and check out lots of delicious entries starting on February 18. You can also check out past Potato Ho Downs on their blog.