in the style of a glutton

Years ago I was thumbing through my well-beloved "Pasta e Verdura" by Jack Bishop (the single most used cookbook I own), and I ran across a recipe for pasta with pan-fried potatoes and ricotta cheese. I was rather taken aback by the recipe, which seemed so over-the-top in its liberal use of starch and cheese. I'd always avoided putting potatoes and pasta in the same meal, so heavy, but here they were cavorting about in the same bowl, and the potatoes were fried to boot. Bishop included two other pasta with potato recipes, but it was really the fried potato one which seized the imagination. In an author's note, Bishop wrote, "Although potatoes are commonly roasted with garlic and rosemary and served as a side dish or mashed and formed into dumplings called gnocchi, their use in the pasta sauces in Italy is rather limited. However, there are a number of regional recipes, mainly from the north, that call for potatoes."

Perhaps the brilliant Mr. Bishop, like me, has not yet made it to Sicily (sadly I have only been to Rome and Venice to date). Years after discovering his recipe, I ran across a note in "Sicilian Vegetarian Cooking" by John Penza (Ten Speed Press 1997): "Pasta in a potato sauce is called alla ghiota, 'glutton's style.' In fact, though it seems unusual, this tasty peasant sauce is an economical energy food."

I couldn't resist trying Bishop's recipe, and it turned out to be my skinny husband's favorite recipe of all time. Over the years, I've cooked pasta in the style of a glutton many times and many ways, but Jack Bishop's recipe endures as a household favorite. It's a real crowd-pleaser, and dinner guests always guffaw as they learn they are eating "pasta in the style of a glutton." (Does that make me sound passive-aggressive, serving delicious food and then informing my guests that it's "in the style of a glutton"?)

Pan-fried Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Ricotta Cheese from "Pasta e Verdura" by Jack Bishop (HarperCollins 1996) (rephrased by the Drunken Housewife, but all credit goes to the brilliant Mr. Bishop)

2 med. baking potatoes (about 1 1/4 lb)
salt
1/4 C olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 T minced chives or other fresh herb (I ALWAYS use chives; chives are so magical with potatoes-DH).
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 C ricotta cheese (I buy the more expensive freshly made homestyle ricotta. My brother-in-law makes his own ricotta cheese from milk from his cows, and perhaps I should try making my own, although as a city-dweller I lack cows- DH)
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb pasta (penne or other tube shape)

Bring 4 qts salted water to boil for cooking pasta.

Bring several qts of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Scrub the potatoes but do not peel them. Add the spuds and salt ot the boiling water. Cook until a metal skewer slides easily into the center of the potatoes, 15-20 min. The spuds should be soft but not mushy or falling apart. Drain and cool. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes and garlic and fry, turning often, over med-high heat until the potatoes are golden brown and fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Add the chives, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute or so.

While cooking the potatoes, combine the ricotta and parmesan cheeses in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta. Add the potatoes and toss well. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings.

While preparing the sauce, cook and drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 C of the cooking water. Thin the potatoes cheese mixture with 1/4 C cooking water. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce, adding the rest of the water if needed in order to coat the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately.