It is nearly impossible to make a bad meal with grilled octopus and potatoes. Today’s case in point was an experiment that came out great. The primary ingredients were little baby (“one bite”) potatoes and one and a half grilled octopus legs. They were accompanied by one plum tomato, a sautéed shallot, a few capers, watercress, olive oil, salt and pepper, Meyer lemon segments, and smoked pimenton.

Recipe

1. Simmer the tiny potatoes in a broth of water, a few desiccated mushrooms, shallot and five slices of leek.

2. When the potatoes are tender, crush them in a frying pan and sauté with olive oil, flaky sea salt and pepper, and cook until they are crispy on the outside edges — about 20 minutes.

3. Cut up the tomato, and sauté another shallot. Mix them together with the capers in a large bowl.

4. Grill the octopus. Cut into bite sized pieces and serve topped with the watercress for color and flavor.

Wine? Of course! A Portuguese red wine made from Baga grapes — Filipa Pato Dinamica was a perfect match.

I wish you all a healthy, happy, tasty New Year!