Mashed potatoes with pepper sauce and pancetta

Name: Mashed potatoes with pepper sauce and pancetta
Ingredients: 1 kg floury potatoes; 2000 ml water; 1 teaspoon salt; 200 ml milk; 30 g butter; 30 g Parmesan; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 small red onion (100 g); 1/2 yellow bell pepper; 1/2 red bell pepper; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; 200 g pancetta or smoked bacon

Diverse - Mashed potatoes with pepper sauce and pancetta by Antoaneta F. - Recipia

Mashed potatoes with pepper sauce and pancetta are served warm, with browned pancetta in the sauce. Red onion and peppers are blended once softened, then the sauce goes over the mash with warm milk, butter and Parmesan; the base stays soft, while the strips of meat give the sauce something to chew on. For the potatoes, I choose floury varieties with dry flesh. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 37 minutes. Total time: 57 minutes. Servings: 4. About 620 kcal and 17 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the mash

1 kg floury potatoes
2000 ml water
1 teaspoon salt
200 ml milk
30 g butter
30 g Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the sauce

1 small red onion (100 g)
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
200 g pancetta or smoked bacon

Preparation

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes and put them in 2000 ml cold water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Boil for 20 minutes, until a fork slides into them easily. 2. Finely chop the red onion and the cleaned peppers. Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the vegetables for 8 minutes, stirring from time to time, until softened. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, then blend the vegetables. 3. In another pan, fry the pancetta, cut into strips, for 5 minutes, until browned. Add the pepper paste and keep the pan over high heat for another 2 minutes, stirring. 4. Warm the milk in a small saucepan for 2 minutes, until hot but not boiling. Drain the potatoes well and mash them with the room-temperature butter, warm milk and Parmesan. Season the mash with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and serve warm, topped with the pepper sauce and pancetta.

Notes

You can replace the pancetta with the same amount of smoked bacon; the Parmesan, butter and milk mean the dish contains dairy. Store the mash and sauce separately in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. I serve it alongside a simple green salad. I time the meal around the potatoes boiling and keep the sauce ready, covered, until I mash them; I take my time mashing so I don't work the potatoes too much. A hand blender is the easiest way to make the pepper paste.