
What is Patatas a lo Pobre?
Patatas a lo Pobre translates into ‘poor man’s potatoes’. And as is often the case with dishes invented as staple food for the people low on money, it is traditionally a vegan recipe. Patatas a lo Pobre has its roots in Andalusia, Spain.
The recipe is poor in the sense of cheap to make, but rich in the sense of flavor. Poor man’s dishes are often simple, straightforward, honest and have their way of getting the best out of simple ingredients. We saw this before with recipes such as Spaghetti Aglio e Olio and Pangrattato: no fuzz needed.
Spanish ingredients are very tasty and with simple dishes you taste them best. The secret is having good olive oil and ripe ingredients.
And yes, there is onion, garlic and parsley that account for a big proportion of taste too.
Kitchen utensils
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Serves 3-4 as a main dish

- 3 big potatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green sweet pepper
- A few branches of parsley
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- ½ cup (120 ml) of olive oil
How to make Patatas a lo Pobre
Prep: 5 min. | Cook: 10 min.
- Peel 3 big potatoes and cut them into small discs.
- Heat up 120 ml (½ cup) of olive in a big saucepan and fry the potatoes for some 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile peel the onion and slice it. Also seed the peppers, cut them lengthwise in half and slice them as well. Chop up 3 cloves as garlic.
- After 5 minutes, remove half of the oil (or anything excessive for just baking) and the onion, garlic and peppers. Stir fry for another 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- In the meantime chop up the parsley.
- After the second five minutes have lapsed and the peppers and onion have become soft, add a tablespoon of vinegar.
- Take off the fire and serve with parsley sprinkled on top.

Summary
Recipe: Patatas a lo Pobre
Country: Spain
Prep: 5 min.
Cook: 10 min.
Total: 15 min.
Ingredients: onion, potato, red bell pepper, green sweet pepper, garlic, parsley, vinegar
Type of meal: main dish