We often talk about pasta as a ‘blank canvas’ on which the creative cook can paint their own personal flavour picture. But potatoes are just as versatile! And today’s recipe demonstrates beautifully how spuds can soak up flavour…
The potatoes make this Bolognaise knock-off a complete meal. And the spuds
themselves taste like nothing you’ve every experiences before…
Today’s recipe is really two in one. There’s the simple meat sauce (which will dress up any pasta) and the potatoes (which make the sauce smooth an creamy while absorbing the rich tomato and meaty umami of the sauce)…
Basic ‘people’ food…
“The base of this particular sauce is puréed fresh tomatoes, to which you add water and tomato paste (along with herbs and spices),” explains recipe contributor Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn. “I mention that detail because […] the sauce is initially quite liquidy. The potato goes in towards the beginning of cooking, hanging out in the brothy sauce for almost its full cook time, absorbing all the flavors and becoming almost fall-apart tender.”
“The potato chunks thus become little sponges, soaking up all the concentrated goodness the sauce has to offer, and delivering it to you in one tender bite. In much the same way a chunk of potato in a bowl of soup is saturated with all the flavors that were present in the pot, this potato is so much more than just extra starch.”
The sauce…
… Is a simple pasta classic you can probably whip up from memory. Use this example recipe as a guide to prep and flavourings. It’s a bit complex and fussy – more so than a ‘peasant food’ recipe should be, really. But in its details, it tells you everything you’ll ever want to know about Baasto Iyo Suugo Hilib Shiishiid (Somalian Pasta With Meat Sauce).
The potatoes
While simmering in the sauce, the spuds will take in lots of savoury flavour and contribute consid-erable starch to the dish. That starch acts in the same way a splash of pasta cooking water does in a classic Italian preparation, combining with the other ingredients to thicken the sauce.
It’s traditional in Somalia to serve the potatoes right in the sauce, on top of the pasta. But starch-on-starch might not be your thing. Or you may have other reasons to keep the carbs in check. There’s nothing that says you can’t remove the potatoes from the sauce before serving and offer them to diners on the side. Or save them as a special side for tomorrow’s supper…
Somalian cuisine
Many Westerners think of Somalia as a parched desert, where millions of folks move north or south with the seasons, trying to find something growing that they can eat. Desperation has driven many Somalis to crime to support their families. Food aid supplies are routinely hijacked or stolen from warehouses by gangs. The Global Hunger Index (2025) ranks Somalia 123rd out of 123 countries, placing its hunger level in the ‘alarming’ category.
But there was a time when Somalia bloomed every spring. And the culture possesses a rich culinary tradition.
Today’s recipe was adapted from Soomaaliya, a cookbook that reveals the secrets of Somalian cuis-ine and provides authentic recipes for the most-beloved classic dishes.
My take
Today’s dish was my first taste of Somalian cuisine. But it won’t be my last. And I’m hoping my copy of Soomaaliya, when it arrives, will contain many more tips and techniques on the order of the ‘spud in the sauce’ hack! I’ll keep you posted…
~ Maggie J.