recipe

An exclusive recipe to accompany the story found at http://TastingTable.com Spaghetti With a Creamy Printable recipe sponsor: Potato and Pancetta Sauce Recipe adapted from My Calabria

Makes 4 servings • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 2 ounces pancetta or guanciale, minced • ¾ pound Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes • Kosher salt • ½ pound spaghetti, broken in half lengthwise • ⅓ cup finely grated ricotta salata, plus more for garnish Can’t get enough Tasting Table? • Freshly ground black pepper Follow us on Twitter! See what our editors are tasting, cooking, buying and testing before you read it (or don’t) on Tasting Table: 1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and pancetta over http://twitter.com/tastingtable medium heat, stirring until the pancetta renders its fat, http://twitter.com/tastingtablenyc about 8 minutes. Do not let it become brown or crisp. http://twitter.com/tastingtablela http://twitter.com/tastingtablechi Add the potatoes and stir for about a minute to coat http://twitter.com/tastingtablesf them, then add 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook, http://twitter.com/tastingtabledc uncovered, until the potatoes are soft enough to mash with a fork or potato masher, about 10 minutes. Mash the cooked potatoes to a near-purée and set the skillet aside. 2. In a 4-quart pot, bring 3 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. 3. Just before the pasta is done, return the skillet to medium heat. With tongs, lift the pasta out of the pot and transfer it, dripping wet, to the skillet. Reserve a cup of cooking water. Toss the pasta with the tongs, coating the pasta evenly with the reserved potato sauce. Add ⅓ cup ricotta salata and a generous amount of black pepper and toss again, thinning the sauce as needed with enough of the pasta water to make a creamy, but not soupy, dish. The sauce must cling to the pasta, but it should not seem starchy. Taste for seasoning; if the pancetta is salty, the dish may not need more salt. Serve at once, topping each portion with a little additional cheese.