Spigola al Forno con Patate

This is the cooking of the Italian coast, from Liguria to Puglia and everywhere between. A fisherman brings home his catch. His wife slices potatoes, drizzles oil, roasts everything together in one pan. The fish juices drip into the potatoes. The potatoes become extraordinary. There is no sauce because the fish makes its own.

Americans want to complicate fish. They want crusts and compound butters and reductions. Italian home cooks know better. When your fish is fresh, you get out of its way. Oil, salt, a whisper of garlic, something green and aromatic. The oven does the rest.

The potatoes here are not a side dish. They are the point. They roast beneath the fish, absorbing every drop of rendered fat and juice. By the time the fish is done, those potatoes have become something remarkable. This is why you must use good potatoes, sliced thin enough to cook through but thick enough to hold their shape. Waxy varieties work best. Starchy potatoes will fall apart.