Potatoes (Patate)

Potatoes are the cheapest vegetable in the Italian pantry at approximately €0.80/kg. In southern Italian cooking they appear most famously in pasta e patate — cooked directly in the pasta liquid, where they release starch that thickens the broth into a sauce. In northern traditions they become gnocchi. Across Italy they are oven-roasted with rosemary, added to soups, and used as a stretching ingredient in dishes that need bulk without raising cost.

Varieties and Selection

Italian supermarkets stock two main types: waxy potatoes (patate a pasta gialla — Agria, Monalisa, Sieglinde) and floury potatoes (patate a pasta bianca — varieties used primarily for gnocchi). For pasta e patate, use waxy or all-purpose: they hold their shape during cooking without disintegrating, contributing starch to the liquid while remaining identifiable in the bowl.

Select firm potatoes with no green patches or sprouting. Green patches indicate solanine accumulation and should be cut away entirely.

Culinary Use

In pasta, patate e provola, the potatoes are diced to 2cm and cooked in the same liquid as the pasta. As both cook together, starch from the potato leaches into the water and thickens it progressively — no separate sauce is required. The result is a one-pot dish where the cooking liquid becomes the binder.

Cost Context

At approximately €0.80/kg, potatoes are among the lowest-cost vegetables available. A 400g quantity — enough for one batch of pasta patate e provola — costs €0.32. This makes patate the ingredient that most defines the dish while adding least to its cost: at €0.87/serving, the potatoes contribute less than 10% of total ingredient spend.