Whilst writing #Mylifein10cookbooks, I revisited some old favourites. This recipe for Patatas a lo Pobre is my take on one from my battered, old and much-loved Moro cookbook; it was perfect served with a whole chicken we spit-roasted on the BBQ with a rub made with paprika, chilli, oil, salt and black pepper. The recipe uses quite a lot of olive oil so the potatoes and vegetables are cooked confit-style and bay-infused making them sweet and packed with flavour.

• 8 – 10 tablespoons of light olive oil
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 6 cloves of garlic, thickly sliced
• 2 teaspoons of paprika dulce
• 3 peppers – a mix of red, green and yellow works beautifully but use what you have available. Halve, de-seed and roughly chop
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 800g firm, waxy potatoes like Charlotte – quartered lengthwise
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Optional: 10 sunblush tomatoes (not fresh – too much liquid)

To make…

• Preheat the oven to 140°C.
• First of all, get ready to prep everything in the oil. I have a metal traybake pan from M&S that I can use on the hob as well as the oven. If you don’t have one like that, start it off in a frying pan and then transfer the contents to your traybake dish.
• Add half the oil to your pan and when it’s hot, add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions slowly for about 20 minutes until they are soft and sticky. Now add the garlic, bay leaves and peppers and stir around for 5 minutes or so.
• Add the remaining oil and then add the potatoes, the paprika and a teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Mix everything together thoroughly and then put it into the baking tray if you were using a frying pan.
• Put in the oven on the middle shelf and allow it to chat to itself for an hour or so. The potatoes should still be whole yet cooked and everything else nicely sweet and soft.
• Just before serving, I stir through the sun-blush tomatoes. Not a traditional touch but I think it lifts the dish.
• Serve with any roast meat and a crisp green salad on the side.

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