While eating my way through Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (to report back to you, dear Real Food Travelers), I encountered a simple potato dish at multiple restaurants. Largely the same at each spot, I grew to love it more and more each time. It reminded me a lot of a dish my grandmother would make with par-boiled potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and white onion in a dressing of red wine vinegar and olive oil. But with the dish I had in Jerez de la Frontera, a city with sherry at its core, Patatas Aliñadas uses sherry vinegar, no beans or tomatoes. But it does have the optional additions of tuna and hardboiled egg. With or without those additions, the dish was delicious, fresh-tasting, and a hearty but mildly-acidic foil to some of the richer dishes we were enjoying, from fried seafood to croquettes to sliced meats. After consulting several versions of recipes, here is this home cook’s version.

Save this recipe to Pinterest to keep it handy so you can make Patatas Alinadas anytime. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? See what to Eat, Drink and Do in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Patatas Aliñadas Recipe (with variations)

As enjoyed in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

Ingredients:
3 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes (it doesn’t have to be exactly 3 lbs)
2 medium-size white onions, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (TIP: put the parsley in a cup, point kitchen shears into it and cut into bits. It is easier than chopping on a cutting board and contains the herbs.)
2 TBS of good sherry vinegar
6 TBS of extra virgin olive oil (it’s important to have a flavorful olive oil here)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Variation:
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1 large can of chunk tuna (not flaked), drained

Hungry for more? Hear this podcast conversation with a local of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Directions:
1. Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water until they are fork-tender but not mushy.
2. While they are cooking, combine the onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil and vinegar in a measuring cup or other pourable vessel.
3. When the potatoes are ready, drain the water and wait until the potatoes are cool enough to handle but are still warm.
4. Peel the potatoes and dice them into big chunks of around 1-inch. Add them to your serving bowl.
5. While the potatoes are still warm, add about half of the dressing mixture and gently mix it with the potatoes (don’t get overzealous in mixing or the potatoes will break up). Mixing the dressing with the still-warm potatoes helps them absorb the dressing better.
6. Taste the potatoes and, if more dressing is needed, add it, stirring again. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
7. At this point, you can serve the dish as is, or…

Variation Directions:
8. Add the tuna, again, mixing carefully so that it is still somewhat chunky.
9. Place the quartered hard boiled eggs on top and serve.

Hungry for more? Get the recipe for Patatas Bravas.

To learn more about Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, visit this website. Make plans to visit Jerez de la Frontera yourself with the help of this Expedia affiliate link.

-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor, RealFoodTraveler.com

Please note: This article contains a link to Amazon.com. RealFoodTraveler.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small amount of advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com while providing convenience for the reader. This in no way affects the prices of any products you may purchase in conjunction with this link.