Confit Potatoes with Chickpeas, Spinach and Parsley Oil — A Van Kitchen Recipe

Cabañeros is the kind of place that makes you walk further than you planned. We went in on foot from the park entrance near El Molinillo — Issy and I — and came out an hour or so later having seen more sky and more silence than either of us had expected. Imperial eagle country. The kind of landscape that doesn't need explaining.

We parked up free near the entrance for the night. No signs, no fee, no one around. A warm late-April evening in Ciudad Real province. The confit potatoes recipe I had in mind was exactly right for it.

This confit potatoes recipe is one of the best things a van kitchen can produce. It takes time but not attention — the potatoes sit in olive oil with garlic and a bay leaf and do exactly what they need to do while you're outside watching the light go. The chickpeas go in for the last ten minutes. The spinach wilts in at the end. The parsley oil takes two minutes and lifts the whole plate.

Confit Potatoes with Chickpeas, Spinach and Parsley

Serves 1 | Saucepan with a lid | Prep 5 mins | Cook 35 mins | Total 40 mins

Ingredients

Confit potatoes

• 250g new potatoes, sliced 1–1.5cm thick
• 150–200ml olive oil (just enough to cover)
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp salt

Chickpeas

• 120g cooked chickpeas (½ standard tin, drained)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper

Spinach

• 1 large handful fresh spinach
• 1 small garlic clove, sliced
• Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Finish

• Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil (for parsley oil)
• ½ lemon, for squeezing

Method

1. Place the potato slices in a small saucepan in a single layer. Pour over enough olive oil to just cover. Add the smashed garlic, bay leaf and salt. Set over the lowest heat possible.
2. Cook gently for 25–30 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and yielding — a knife should meet no resistance. The oil should barely bubble. This is a slow cook, not a fry.
3. Add the chickpeas and smoked paprika directly to the oil. Cook for a further 8–10 minutes until the chickpeas have warmed through and begun to crisp slightly at the edges.
4. Add the spinach and sliced garlic. Stir gently into the oil and leave for 2–3 minutes until just wilted. Add the chilli flakes if using.
5. Meanwhile make the parsley oil — blitz or finely chop the parsley with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt until you have a rough, bright green oil.
6. Lift the potatoes, chickpeas and spinach onto a plate with a slotted spoon. Drizzle with parsley oil and squeeze over the lemon. Season and serve.

Recipe Notes

• The oil left in the pan is not waste — it is garlic-scented, potato-flavoured olive oil. Use it the next day for frying, dressing, anything.
• Low and slow is the only method here. If the oil is bubbling vigorously the potatoes will fry rather than confit — turn the heat right down.
• Frozen spinach works perfectly in a van — 3–4 blocks, defrosted and squeezed dry before going in.
• Smoked paprika on the chickpeas is optional but excellent. It adds warmth and a little colour to a dish that is otherwise very green and gold.
• This confit potatoes recipe is rich — the olive oil does the work. The lemon at the end is not optional.

Footnote

This confit potatoes recipe is part of my Campervan Cooking Recipes collection — van-friendly recipes, one-pan cooking and food from the road.

It also features in my Gut Health Recipes collection — recipes that look after your gut without making a fuss about it.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef