Octopus with Potatoes

Method

1. Clean the octopus: remove the mouth (the hard beak) and the eyes. Also remove any internal parts and rinse well.
2. Fill a large pot with water and add coarse salt. Bring to a boil.
3. Dip the octopus into the boiling water 6-7 times to shock the tentacles, then submerge it completely.
4. Add a cork (a real wine cork) to the cooking water – this helps make the octopus tender.
5. Cook the octopus for about 35 minutes (calculate 25 minutes per kg). For a 1.5 kg octopus, 35 minutes is sufficient.
6. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes (1 kg) and cut them into small cubes, all of the same size.
7. Soak the potato cubes in cold water to remove excess starch. Rinse until the water runs clear.
8. Steam the potatoes until tender (about 20 minutes). Alternatively, boil them if you don't have a steamer, but steaming preserves their texture better.
9. Once the octopus is cooked, let it cool in its cooking water for at least 30 minutes.
10. Remove the octopus from the water and cut it into pieces roughly the same size as the potato cubes.
11. Prepare the parsley-garlic mixture: take 1 clove of garlic, remove the inner germ, and chop it finely together with a small bunch of parsley.
12. In a bowl, season the potatoes with fine salt, extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and half of the parsley-garlic mixture. Mix gently.
13. In another bowl, season the octopus pieces with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and the remaining parsley-garlic mixture.
14. Combine the seasoned potatoes and octopus very gently by tossing them together (do not stir with a spoon, as it will break the potatoes).
15. Serve the dish with a little of the octopus cooking water spooned over. Optionally, add a squeeze of lemon juice on top.