Hey, that’s not my family! But I can write this post because I too have sampled the magical tomato mashed potato of Rome.
Martina has a list of recommendations for what to do in Rome. If you’re lucky, maybe she’ll share it with you. One of the stops is a restaurant called Pecorino. She sent Ayr’s family there last spring, and she sent me there this summer.
One of the dishes at Pecorino is something called “frittata di patate.” The waiter made sure I knew before I ordered it: this is not what we think of as a frittata – it’s not an eggy dish baked in the oven. Here is a video of Stefania, the chef, making it. She sautées onions in lots of olive oil, adds crushed tomatoes, then adds potatoes that she mashes with a fork. The frittata di patate ends up looking kind of like a cake. You wonder why you ever wanted plain mashed potatoes.
We just launched our Roman Tomato Soup inspired by these magical red mashed potatoes. We found a way to work in some carrots, which are abundant this time of year. And because of the olive oil and the potato, this soup is naturally creamy without having any cream in it at all. We recommend eating it with fried artichokes if you’re in Rome and a kids tomato cheddar sandwich if you’re in Boston. If you have it let us know what you think (we’re still dialing in the consistency and would love feedback.)
