Fermented potato tortillas

Serves 6 Starters and mains

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Method

Start with the fermented potatoes. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C F/Gas 6. Bake the potatoes for around 1 hour. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Hollow out the potatoes and place the flesh in a mixing bowl (you should get around 500g). Add the salt – it should be 1.8 per cent of the weight of the potatoes in the bowl. Mix without mashing the potatoes too much – there should be some big bits left. Place the mixture into sealable freezer bags and remove as much air as possible. Leave the bags at room temperature for 3-4 days. They will expand slightly, and liquid will be released. Turn them over occasionally during the process.

After 3-4 days at room temperature, the lactic acid bacteria will have eaten up all the available sugar and the potatoes will be fermented. You can either make the dough straight away or store the potatoes, chilled, until you need them. You can also freeze the fermented potatoes to use much later on.

Pour the fermented potatoes, including all the liquid, into a mixing bowl and add the flour
a little at a time. Some types of flour bind with liquid more than others, so use trial and error to find the right amount. Mix the dough with your hands or use a potato masher to begin with to mash the bigger bits of potato, then shape the dough into a ball. It will be fairly sticky but should still hold together well. If it seems dry, add a little water at intervals until it is nice and soft.

Split the dough into smaller pieces and roll these into small balls, around 2cm in diameter. Place them on a plate with plenty of rye flour to stop them from sticking together. Leave to rest for around 10 minutes.

Cut out a sheet of baking paper that is slightly larger than your tortilla press. Position it in the press, drip a little oil in the middle of the paper and place the ball on top. Take another sheet of baking paper, drip a little oil on it and then position it on top of the ball. Press it gently to ensure it stays in place when you close the press. Press the ball into a tortilla around 2mm thick.

While still between the sheets of baking paper, place the tortilla in a dry, warm – verging on hot – frying pan. Fry for 30 seconds, turn over and remove the paper from the fried side. Fry the other side for 30 seconds, turn it over again and remove the second sheet of paper. Remove the tortilla and place it between two tea towels while you make the rest. You can do this in a couple of frying pans at once. Experiment a little on the frying pan temperature until you find a level where the tortillas speckle and puff up a bit without getting burnt.

This recipe was taken from the June/July 2020 issue of Food and Travel.

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