Galician-style octopus

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 octopus, approx. 1 – 1.2 kg
• 750 g potatoes
• Sea salt
• olive oil
• Paprika powder
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 50 minutes

very easy to prepare and super tasty

Wash the octopus and heat it with a bay leaf in a large pot with plenty of water (without any other ingredients) over low heat. It shouldn’t boil (!), just simmer gently—otherwise, it will become tough. After 2.5 hours, it will be buttery soft—no need to pound or prepare it in any other way. Don’t use the head (but you can use it in a salad with the thin ends of the tentacles). Cut the octopus arms into approximately 1 cm thick pieces. Peel the potatoes and boil them in a little water with a little salt until they are cooked through. Drain and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Place them side by side on a platter, then arrange the octopus pieces on top. Sprinkle with sea salt and paprika (hot or sweet, depending on your taste) and drizzle with olive oil. It’s not exactly a visual hit—but it’s incredibly delicious. Supposedly, this is how poor fishermen ate it—though these days, it’s not really something for the poor in Germany.