Add a dash of Spain to your table with this flavorful pairing!

The Cune 2005 Rioja Vina Real Crianza ($18) is the kind of wine I could drink every day. With its bright raspberry and cherry fruit, fine tannins and smoky tobacco note on the lingering finish, it’s a great food wine. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Where I live, “chorizo” can mean a couple of things. It is most often the Mexican version — a spicy fresh sausage that is sold in casings or in bulk and used in a myriad of Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican dishes. But chorizo is also available in its more traditional Spanish (and Portuguese, for that matter…) form — a hard, dried, cured sausage. In both versions, the pork is seasoned with garlic and a generous amount of paprika, which gives it a deep (and finger staining) orange-red color, as well as a smoky intensity.

I recently read a recipe that got me thinking about using the dried chorizo like pancetta… That is, to dice it and fry it until it gets brown and crispy. And it works! I may end up using this stuff a million ways, but I started out with some decadent mashed potatoes:

Mashed Potatoes with Chorizo & Scallions
You can use spicy or mild chorizo here, as long as it’s the hard, dried kind of chorizo. This mash works with just about anything off the grill, from beef to poultry to tuna steaks. (It’s also damn good all by itself, in a big bowl with a big spoon…) Adapted from The Olives Table.
Serves 6-8

2 pounds baking potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and diced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups dried, cured Spanish chorizo, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Place potatoes in a stock pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pot.

While potatoes are cooking, place the scallions, cream and rosemary in a blender and blend until thickened, one or two minutes. Set aside until needed.

Also while potatoes are cooking, place chorizo, garlic and butter in a skillet and cook until chorizo is caramelized, browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.

Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes, gradually incorporating the scallion cream and chorizo. (Use a slotted spoon to scoop the chorizo out of the skillet, leaving the orange oil behind.) Cook over low heat until liquid is absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper and serve.