Polvo à Lagareiro

Tap an ingredient or step to check it off.

1. 1Step 1: Put the fresh octopus in a bowl and add about 0.5 cup of vinegar. Give it a hard massage to clean it and reduce the strong sea smell.
2. 2Step 2: Keep the octopus aside for 15 minutes before washing.
3. 3Step 3: Meanwhile, boil 1 litre of water and season it with 2 bay leaves, 1 medium onion cut in the middle, 2 inches of French onion with a little cut in the middle, and 1 carrot half cut in the middle. Let it continue to boil.
4. 4Step 4: After 15 minutes, wash the octopus very well until it cleans properly.
5. 5Step 5: Put the octopus in the boiling water, but first dip it in and out three times (the trick). After doing the trick 3 times, let the octopus in. The octopus doesn't need to be covered by a lot of water because it releases water itself and cooks well.
6. 6Step 6: Put the lid on and bring it to boil on high heat.
7. 7Step 7: Meanwhile, prepare the sweet potatoes. Wash them very well, remove the excess parts, and cut them in the middle until halfway to help them cook fast.
8. 8Step 8: Put the sweet potatoes in the steamer. Place the steamer over boiling water (about 1.5 litres of water), put the lid on, and let it steam for about 30 minutes on medium heat. If you don't have a steamer, you can boil them directly in the water. The cooking time depends on the size of your sweet potatoes, so check them before finishing.
9. 9Step 9: The octopus is already boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook for about 40 minutes.
10. 10Step 10: While the octopus and potatoes are cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients: 2 heads of garlic chopped in the middle, 1 tsp rosemary powder (or fresh rosemary), 1 tsp smoked paprika, 3 star anise (optional but adds sweet aroma), salt to taste (only for the sweet potatoes), 300ml olive oil, some finely chopped parsley, and some good quality black olives.
11. 11Step 11: After 40 minutes, poke the octopus with a fork to check if it's cooked. If the fork goes in easily, it's cooked. Transfer to a plate and let it cool down.
12. 12Step 12: Check the sweet potatoes by touching them; if soft, remove and let them cool down.
13. 13Step 13: Once the octopus and sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, separate the tentacles (one by one or two together) and put them back on the plate. Chop the head into strips.
14. 14Step 14: Cut the sweet potatoes open with a knife, give a few cuts in another direction, and squeeze a bit to open them so the spices go in easily.
15. 15Step 15: Preheat the oven.
16. 16Step 16: On a tray, place the octopus first, then make space and put in the sweet potatoes. Add the star anise for aroma.
17. 17Step 17: Sprinkle the smoked paprika evenly, then the rosemary powder. Add the garlic, then salt to taste only on the sweet potatoes. Finally, pour the olive oil evenly on top of all the potatoes and octopus.
18. 18Step 18: Put the tray in the preheated oven for 30 minutes at 200C, or until the upper part creates a nice colour.
19. 19Step 19: After 30 minutes, the dish is ready. Sprinkle some parsley and serve. First sweet potatoes, then octopus. Add star anise, squeeze the cooked garlic head, add olives (they give a nice freshness), sprinkle a little parsley and olive oil from the tray, and drizzle around.