Smoky skillet shrimp with Spanish potato salad

Comfort food is always welcome on a gray, rainy California weekend.  This Spanish influenced dish will warm you from the inside out with it's smoked paprika, capers, piquillo peppers and sherry vinaigrette.   Rolly found this recipe for a Spanish warm potato salad with salad on the internet and it made a perfect Sunday evening dinner that was an immediate family hit. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/06/FD4M1HN2J0.DTL

Susan's Notes:

I used the "teeny tiny potatoes" from Trader Joe's.  They took about 6 minutes in the microwave, and simply cut in half, they made a beautiful presentation in the dish.  Be sure you cook the potatoes first, so they have time to "hang out" with the vinaigrette and absorb all of the flavors of the other ingredients.

If you don't want to use shrimp, a can of Italian oil-packed tuna can be tossed into the salad instead.  And of course, vegetarians can leave out the shrimp and still have a lovely side dish.  In this case, I'd sprinkle the paprika in with the vinaigrette to be sure the smokiness of the dish is preserved.

Smoky Skillet Shrimp with Spanish Potato Salad

Serves 3-4

Trader Joe's sells microwavable fingerling potatoes that work well in this warm salad. They take 4 minutes and should be cooked as you begin the recipe, if not before. If you can't find them, any warmed leftover or freshly cooked potatoes will do. Use regular roasted red peppers if you have trouble finding the thinner Piquillo peppers.

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette:

Ingredients for the potato salad:

• 1/4 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/3 cup jarred piquillo or roasted red peppers, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon chopped capers
• 1 pound cooked fingerling potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

Ingredients for the shrimp:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (can substitute regular paprika, though you'll lose the smokiness)
• Pinch sugar
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

To make the vinaigrette and potato salad

1. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard and salt.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until emulsified.
3. Season to taste with pepper, and set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix the red onion, peppers, capers and fingerling potatoes together.
5. Toss with the dressing, season to taste, and set aside.

To make the shrimp

1. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
2. Season the shrimp with paprika, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Saute until slightly browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
4. Serve with the potato salad.

Per serving: 384 calories, 17 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 28 g fat (4 g saturated), 135 mg cholesterol, 323 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Wine pairing: Paprika and the roasted peppers give this dish more bottom note, which makes it a candidate for a light Cabernet Franc or a Grenache-based rosé.