Romesco inspires smoky sauce for potatoes

A good sauce is a cook’s magic wand. It’s a trick up the sleeve, so to speak, for jazzing up all sorts of meat, fish, poultry and vegetables, while also multitasking as a spread for sandwiches or a dollop for eggs, rice — even soups. And it’s a definite keeper, when it can be plunked into a bowl and called a dip, to boot.

Romesco sauce is one such sauce. Romesco is a smoky Catalonian tomato sauce, hailing from Tarragona, Spain. It’s a blend of roasted tomatoes and garlic, dried chile pepper, almonds, olive oil and sherry vinegar, often thickened with bread. As homemade traditions go, there are variations from cook to cook, but the bottom line is it’s a chunky, fruity, piquant sauce with just a hint of heat that checks all the boxes listed above.

So, romesco was the sauce that came to mind the other night when I craved a smoky red sauce to ladle over a platter of crispy golden potatoes. However, as real life often dictates — especially on a frigid weeknight in an icy storm and decidedly not in Spain — my Catalonian vision was relegated to the kitchen pantry and spice drawer for homemade improvisation. Crushed tomatoes, jarred roasted peppers, a generous sprinkling of spice and a splash of sherry vinegar morphed into this sauce. We shall not call it a romesco sauce, since it is not.

Roasted potatoes with smoky red pepper sauce

Makes about 2cups.

INGREDIENTS Sauce:

1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1tablespoon tomato paste 8-ounce jar roasted red peppers, about 4 peppers, drained and chopped 1cup (8ounces) crushed tomatoes 2tablespoons sherry vinegar 2tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1to 2tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Potatoes:

1½ pounds small yellow potatoes, halved 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the paprika, cumin and coriander, and then the tomato paste. Continue to stir to toast the ingredients, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir in the peppers, tomatoes, vinegar, honey and salt. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to meld the flavors. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to achieve a slightly chunky salsa consistency. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the parsley, and cool to room temperature. While the sauce is cooling, prepare the potatoes. Heat the oven to 400degrees. Combine the potatoes, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Spread on a rimmed baking tray, cut sides down. Roast in the oven until golden brown and tender, about 40minutes, turning once. Serve the potatoes with the sauce.

Lynda Balslev is a San Francisco Bay Area cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer.