Olive-oil roasted octopus with punched potatoes (Polvo à lagareiro)

1. Put the octopus (ideally frozen beforehand and thawed – this makes it more tender) in a large pot with the halved onion and bay leaf, without water, cover and simmer gently in its own juices for 45-60 minutes until the tentacles are easily pierced with a fork.

2. Meanwhile wash the baby potatoes, roll them in their skins in the coarse salt and roast at 200 °C for 35-40 minutes until tender.

3. Gently press the cooked potatoes with your palm (or the bottom of a glass) so the skins burst – that's what makes them "batata a murro", punched potatoes.

4. Drain the octopus, cut it into tentacles and put in a roasting tin with the potatoes; thinly slice the garlic and warm it with the olive oil in a small pan until lukewarm (don't let it brown).

5. Pour the garlic oil generously over the octopus and potatoes and roast at 220 °C for 10-15 minutes until the edges of the tentacles are browned.

6. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and freshly ground pepper, drizzled with the oil from the tin.

Tip: The "lagareiro" is the olive-press worker – the name hints that this dish doesn't skimp on good olive oil; keep the octopus's own cooking liquid, it's a great base for soup or rice.