I was taking a walk – something that slowly we’re able to go out and do more and more. I was passing by one of my favorite little gourmet shops and decided to pop in and just inhale some of the lovely aromas (through my mask, but still), and perhaps pick up something to snack on. They had chistorra, a quick, semi-cured sausage from Spain’s Basque region, particularly Aragon and Navarra. Along with a couple of other “snacks”, I tossed one in my basket of goodies. It brought to mind one of my favorite, simple potato dishes of the region, and that’s where we’re headed to today.

Patatas a la Navarra (Navarra style potatoes)

One sliced up chistorra, in retrospect, two would have been good for this quantity of a dish. Three potatoes cut into bite-sized chunks. A thinly sliced green pepper, and an onion, and a couple of minced garlic cloves. Not pictured, a bowl of par-cooked peas (a thawed bag of frozen, or par-cooking some fresh, or this is even a dish where a can of peas will be just fine, if you rinse them), and some vegetable stock (or chicken, or beef, or… whatever, but vegetable stock or just water is traditional), a tablespoon of sweet paprika, some chopped parsley, and, of course, some salt and pepper.

In a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, saute the onion, pepper, and garlic with a little salt and pepper, until soft.

Add the chistorra and the sweet paprika, and saute for another couple of minutes.

Add the potatoes and saute for about a minute, mixing it up a bit to get some of the flavor into the surface of the potatoes.

Add the peas and the stock, just enough to cover. Reserve some to add if needed as the potatoes absorb liquid and some evaporates.

Cook at a low boil until the potatoes are cooked through. Add stock if needed. Add chopped parsley, adjust seasoning, and…

Serve!

Try this one, it’s really simple and easy. If you can’t find chistorra, which has its own unique flavor, use a cured chorizo or another favorite similar sausage.