Pasta With Potato Sauce Alla Decaro Recipes

PASTA WITH CREAMY SWEET POTATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Scrub and pierce sweet potato; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10-12 minutes or until tender, turning once. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Place potato in a large bowl and mash with milk., Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, saute pine nuts and sage in butter until pine nuts are toasted. Remove from pan and set aside., In the same skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet potato mixture, salt and pepper. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water; add to sweet potato mixture. Stir in the cheese, pine nut mixture and reserved cooking water. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

TOMATO, PASTA, AND POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 cups water to a boil and remove from heat. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the pasta in a single layer in dish. Top with one-third the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oregano, half the potatoes, all the onion, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Distributing evenly, layer with remaining pasta, another one-third tomatoes, and remaining oregano and potatoes; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with remaining tomatoes.
• Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour hot water into dish until it comes up to the top layer of potatoes. Tightly cover dish with foil and bake until liquid is absorbed and pasta and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Remove foil and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until browned, 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

PASTA WITH POTATOES

Steps:

• Put several cups of water in a pot on stove, and keep it at a simmer. Place olive oil in a large saucepan, and turn heat to medium. If you're using pancetta or bacon, add it to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. (If you are omitting the meat, proceed to the next step.)
• Add potatoes, garlic and chiles and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown all over, about 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups of the simmering water, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-low, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to break up the tomatoes and prevent sticking.
• While potato mixture is cooking, break long dried pasta, like spaghetti, into several lengths; place cut pasta, like ziti, in a bag, and break it up with the back of a pot or a hammer. After potato mixture has simmered for about 10 minutes, add pasta and plenty of salt and pepper to pot. Simmer, stirring and adding the simmering water as necessary; mixture should remain thick and stewy, never dry.
• When potatoes are tender and pasta quite tender - this will take 20 minutes or more - the dish is done. (It may be covered and refrigerated for a day or two, or put in a closed container and frozen for several weeks; it's likely that you will need to add more liquid when you reheat.) Check the seasoning, and add some crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper or salt if needed. Serve hot, in bowls.

PASTA WITH POTATO SAUCE ALLA DECARO

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet cook onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Add parsley, potatoes, salt, pepper, and water plus additional if necessary to barely over potatoes and simmer, covered, until potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes.
• While potatoes are cooking, in a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to boil for pasta.
• Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander. Return pasta to kettle and add potato mixture, tossing gently to combine well.
• Serve pasta with Parmesan to taste.