Polvo Lagareiro: Portuguese Roasted Octopus

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Yield: 4 people

Cook Time: 2 20

Author: Andrew Gavin

Tender roasted octopus with crispy potatoes, peppers, and onions

2 lbs octopus, can be frozen
1 onion, sliced in half
1 garlic bulb, sliced in half
5 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
¼ cup kosher salt, a dried kombu leaf can be used instead to add more character to the dish

If the octopus is frozen, thaw.
Set a pot large enough to submerge the octopus on a stove.
Fill with enough water to submerge the octopus.
Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, peppercorns to the pot.
Bring to a boil.
While the water warms up. Clean the octopus. Remove the eyes and beak from the octopus. You can cut a wedge above and below the eyes to remove. Then you can push out the beak with your fingers from where you made the cuts. Keep the head attached.
Once the water is boiling, use tongs to securely grab the octopus by the head.
Dip the octopus 3 times, fully submerging the octopus each time for a few seconds.
Then submerge the octopus and bring the pot to a light boil. Once it reaches a boil reduce to a simmer and partially cover the pot with a lid.
Cook the octopus in a strong simmer for 45 minutes.
While the octopus is cooking we can cook the potatoes in a pot of water and the peppers and onions in a saute pan (see below).
After the 45 minutes are complete, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Let the octopus rest in the pot for 25 minutes.

Set a pot on the stove and fill with water.
Add 2 tbsp of salt to the water and bring the water to a boil.
Once boiling add the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes, testing for doneness at 10 minutes. A fork should pierce the potato with little resistance when cooked.
When the potatoes are done, drain them from the pot and set aside in a bowl or plate.

Set a large sauté pan on the stove and heat on medium high heat.
Add olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. We want a good amount of olive oil to keep the peppers and onions from overcooking and we can use this olive oil in the final plating, saturated with flavor.
Once the oil is heated, add the peppers, onions, garlic, and paprika.
Adjust the heat as necessary so that the peppers, onions, and garlic do no burn. Add more olive oil if needed. We want soft, roasted vegetables.
Cook for 20-30 minutes until soft.
Optional: peel the skin off the peppers. This skin can be slightly bitter.

Once the octopus, potatoes, peppers, and onions are cooked heat an oven to 435F or 225C.
On a baking sheet or oven safe glass baking dish place place the potatoes and drizzle olive oil all over. Toss to coat the potatoes evenly.
Put the potatoes in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
While the potatoes roast, remove the head of the octopus and then cut the tentacles into 4 portions. Coat the tentacles with olive oil. The head can be used in a seafood salad or octopus rice as desired.
After the potatoes roast for 10 minutes add the olive oil coated octopus tentacles.
Roast in the over for 10 minutes.
If the peppers and onions have cooled, turn on the sauté pan to reheat.
Once the octopus tentacles have been roasted for 10 minutes remove the potatoes and tentacles from the oven.
Finish the Polvo a Lagareiro by first plating the potatoes, then layering on the peppers and onions, and last top off with the tentacles. Drizzle the olive oil from the pepper and onion sauté pan.

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