Patate con salsiccia (potato with sausage) is a classic cucina povera dish from Campania. It’s a popular one-pan meal throughout the region, including the hinterland of the Amalfi Coast where I was taught to make it by Mamma Marinella at Hotel Zi’Ntonio in Scala. Use traditional fennel-seasoned coarse pork sausages for best flavour (often simply sold as salsiccia, the Italian word for sausage). Rosemary is typically added – though Mamma didn’t use it in the version she taught me – and some cooks add white wine, chilli and/or cherry tomatoes. Some salsiccia e patate are baked (‘in forno’) but Mamma cooks hers ‘in padella’ (in the pan). Some pan-cooked salsiccia con patate crisp the potatoes, but I like this softer version that Mamma introduced me to. Dutch cream potatoes have the perfect texture, staying firm while yielding just enough to thicken the sauce; if they aren’t available use another firm waxy potato such as Desirée. Serve a glass of a soft red, such as pinot noir, with your patate con salsiccia – I like the savoury one from Will Gilbert in Mudgee NSW, with its hint of spice and red berries. See video below for another simple potato dish from southern Italy.
Serves 4
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