Why This Recipe Works

Patatas panaderas, a simple yet luxurious dish of thinly sliced potatoes accented with onions and garlic and baked in white wine and plenty of olive oil, is little known outside of Spain, but it deserves a place among the iconic potato dishes of Europe. In our version, we covered the potatoes with a tight foil lid so that the potatoes could soften. We withheld the wine for the first 40 minutes of cooking to prevent its acid from interfering with the softening of the potatoes. Loosening the foil for the last 20 minutes allowed excess moisture to evaporate while keeping the potatoes moist, blond, and tender throughout.

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Before You Begin

For the best results, be sure to use a fresh, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here. Our favorite supermarket product is California Olive Ranch Destination Series Everyday Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We developed this recipe using Diamond Crystal kosher salt; if using Morton kosher salt, decrease the amount to 2⅝ teaspoons. To make peeling and slicing easier, choose larger potatoes. These potatoes make an excellent accompaniment to roasted fish or pork.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir potatoes and oil in large bowl until potatoes are evenly coated. Stir in salt and pepper until well distributed. Stir in onion and garlic. Transfer potato mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and spread into even layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until potatoes can be easily pierced with tip of paring knife, about 40 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Carefully remove foil and set aside. Pour wine evenly over potatoes. Lightly place reserved foil on top of dish, leaving sides open so moisture can escape, and return dish to oven. Bake until wine has evaporated or been absorbed (there will still be some oil bubbling around edges of dish), about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.