Making this dish is simple and can be done in less than two hours. The hardest work is in the prep and handling of the octopus. After that comes the timing of when to place the potatoes in the oven. Our two and a half pound octopus cooked quickly. Some might say that our octopus was TOO tender but that’s debatable based on personal preference. (You could always shorten the cooking time by 10 to 15 minutes if you’re not on team tender.)
We recommend using a four to five pound octopus which feeds four people. You can use a smaller or larger octopus but, if you like a firmer texture, make sure you check the octopus for doneness after about an hour of cooking. This is especially the case if you opt for a smaller octopus as we did.
After preheating an oven to 400°f / 200°c, start by unwrapping the octopus. Be not afraid!!
Grab it by the body and reach under the base of the head. You’ll see the beak/eye. Reach behind the beak and squeeze. The beak will then pop out. Once it’s popped, use a knife to slice the beak off. It’s official – your octopus is now clean and ready for cooking.
Drizzle olive oil generously over the bottom of a glass baking dish and place the octopus on top of the oil.
Evenly spread peppercorns over the octopus and then place the onion quarters evenly around the octopus in the pan.
Douse the top of the raw octopus with more olive oil.
Cover the octopus pan tightly with aluminium foil and place it in the oven. Set the timer for 90 minutes.
In the meantime, place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water. About 35 minutes before the octopus is done cooking, remove the potatoes from the water and place it a baking pan and sprinkle salt evenly over the potatoes. Mix the potatoes until they’re covered with a thin but generous layer of salt.
With 30 minutes left on the timer, place the baking dish with the potatoes on a separate rack in the oven.
About 5 minutes before the octopus is cooked, heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add garlic cloves and fry for a couple minutes until they’re brown on the edges. Remove the pan from the heat.
Remove the octopus and potatoes from the oven. Remove the foil from the octopus and check for doneness by sticking a knife into the octopus. The knife should remove easily. Do the same with the potatoes.
Gently brush the salt off the potatoes and smash them with your hand (palm or fist) or gently with a spatula.
It’s now time to plate the dish.
Start by laying down the potatoes. Covering the potatoes neatly with the octopus slices. Pour on the hot garlic oil (including the cloves) and garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
The finished dish is ideal for a holiday meal. However, it tastes great any time of the year.
