With only a handful of ingredients, talk about simple, and simply delicious! Patatas Panaderas, an almost effortless, yet luxurious dish of thinly sliced potatoes accented with onions and garlic and baked in white wine and plenty of really good olive oil, is little known outside of Spain, but it deserves a place among the iconic potato dishes of Europe—trust me on this one.
In this version from Cook’s Illustrated, they cover the potatoes with a tight foil lid so that the potatoes soften. The wine is withheld 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 allows excess moisture to evaporate while keeping the potatoes moist, blond, and tender throughout.
For the best results, be sure to use a fresh, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here. We used one imported directly from Spain: “Oro del Desierto” Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Truly, don’t cheap out on this ingredient. I was going to throw in some fresh chopped thyme from our herb garden, but then forgot. A smattering of some fresh herbs would be a nice addition, although not needed.
NOTES: This recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt; if using Morton kosher salt, decrease the amount to 2⅝ teaspoons. To make peeling and slicing easier, choose larger potatoes. For slightly crispier potatoes, cook the last 20 minutes with the wine uncovered.
Spanish Potatoes with Olive Oil
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
Directions
- 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.
Accounting for Taste 
These look really delicious!
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