Puttanesca Potato Stew

Puttanesca Potato Stew

This one's a proper weeknight hero. We love puttanesca because it's bold, briny, and punchy in all the right ways, and pairing it with tender potatoes instead of pasta is something we keep coming back to again and again. You get that rich tomato sauce loaded with olives, capers, and garlic, clinging to soft chunks of potato in the best possible way. It's hearty without being heavy, and honestly it tastes like you've been cooking for hours even though it's on the table in 25 minutes. Make this tonight, you will not regret it.

Cook: 25 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • 2x large saucepans
  • Microplane or fine grater
  • Colander

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp mixed herbs
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes - plus extra to taste
  • 1 tsp tomato purée
  • 750g new potatoes
  • 1 banana shallot
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 50g pitted Kalamata olives - or other black olives
  • 50ml red wine
  • 125g spinach
  • 400g Passata
  • 15g fresh basil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1

First, cook the potatoes

  • Wash the potatoes, halve any larger ones, then put them in one of the large saucepans with a pinch of salt
  • Cover with cold water, place over a high heat, and bring to a rolling boil
  • Cook the potatoes for 12 - 15 minutes, until tender
  • Drain and set to one side
2

Now, start the puttanesca sauce

  • Peel and finely chop the shallot
  • Peel and grate the garlic cloves
  • Roughly chop the olives
3

Heat the olive oil in the second saucepan over a medium heat

  • Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and stir for 1 minute
  • Add the garlic, fennel seeds, mixed herbs and chilli flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until aromatic
  • Add the tomato puree and stir for 30 seconds
  • Add the red wine, stir and simmer for 3 - 4 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated
4

Add the passata to the pan

  • Stir through and simmer for 7 - 8 minutes until thickened
  • Add the new potatoes and fold them into the sauce
  • Add the spinach and stir until wilted
  • Add the olives
  • Taste the sauce, season to perfection with salt and pepper (and more chilli if you like) and serve with a garnish of basil leaves

Tips & Variations

  • Get ahead on the potatoes: You can boil the potatoes earlier in the day and just keep them covered. Saves time when you're rushing to get dinner on the table and they absorb the sauce even better when slightly cooled first.
  • Dial up the heat: We love adding a pinch of chilli flakes to the sauce while the shallots are frying. It gives the whole thing a gentle kick that works really well against the briny olives and capers. Trust us on this one.
  • Serve it properly: A big handful of fresh parsley stirred through at the end makes this feel really fresh and vibrant. Ian always adds a little extra glug of good olive oil right before serving too, and it makes such a difference.

Why This Works

The trick here is building the sauce fast but with real intention. Frying the shallots and garlic until they're properly soft before adding the tomatoes means you get a deep, savoury base that makes everything else shine. The olives and capers do a lot of the heavy lifting with salt and umami, so you don't need much else to make this taste absolutely brilliant.