Spanish Salted Potatoes with Mojo Verde

Spanish inspired wrinkled potatoes with a punchy coriander salsa. Traditionally the potatoes for this Canary Island classic are cooked in seawater and made with local herbs.

Mojo Verde is basically a punchy green sauce made with coriander, cumin seeds and fresh green chillies.

I love the evaporation technique for cooking the potatoes, so quick and easy and the result feels special and unusual.

Simple recipes like these are begging for fantastic ingredients. Proper flaked sea salt, fresh market herbs and I used small baby organic potatoes and they are at their season best this time of the year (Feb-March in the southern hemisphere).

So simple, so delicious and so vibrant! My kind of food!

These little potatoes are delicious a day or two later, smashed and fried in olive oil until they are crisp and golden.

A food processor for the green sauce

• 1kg small baby potatoes, kept whole and unpeeled
• 4 teaspoons flaked sea salt
• 2 bay leaves, sprig of thyme, sprig of rosemary
• about 400ml water (see method)

Mojo Verde

• 1 large bunch coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded
• 2 jalapeños or green chillies, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and grind in mortar & pestle
• 100ml good olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (to taste)
• salt & pepper

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan where they can sit snuggly, add the salt, herbs and enough water so the water comes up two-thirds up the sides of the potatoes.
2. Bring to the boil and simmer, cover with a disc of greaseproof paper, tucked snugly around the potatoes. Simmer over a low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until the water has evaporated fully.
3. Remove the greaseproof paper and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the bottom of the potatoes are a little black and blistered. The potatoes at this stage will have a coating of salt around them and they will be slightly wrinkled.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, let’s make the mojo verde. Place the coriander, chillies, cumin seeds, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and add the olive oil, vinegar and season with salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding the lemon juice and more salt if needed.
5. To serve, add the potatoes to a pretty bowl and serve with the mojo verde on the side or drizzled over the potatoes. Enjoy!