Spanish Potato Bake

I dug this recipe up for a "non-traditional Thanksgiving" cooking evening.  Unfortunately in that friendly competition it couldn't take the prize over some of the hardcore meat/bacon dishes, but it turned out well, got pretty positive feedback as a great side.  It's pretty hearty, could make a vegetarian entree as well.

Recipe

Sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp hot Spanish (smoked) paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
16 oz tomatoes
Bake
1 1/2 to 2 lbs potatoes
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow pepper, chunked
1 courgette (a.k.a. zucchini), chunked
10 oz sliced mushrooms
2 onions, sliced
3/4 cup grated Manchego or other cheese
handful of green olives, chopped

Start by boiling your potatoes, whole or in halves to go quicker.  They should be soft but hopefully still a bit firm.  Let cool and slice.

Saute the onion, then add courgette, pepper, and mushroom and saute another 15 minutes.  Then stir in the olives.

Blend the sauce ingredients together.

Then you layer into an oiled casserole dish - (half of the) potatoes, veggies, sauce, cheese, and repeat.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook another 15.

Notes

I do have a couple notes that might be helpful.  I've usually erred on cooking the potatoes pretty long, since even ones a bit on the mushy side work better in this combo than undercooked.  "Courgette" means zucchini.  And I haven't blended all the sauce ingredients, just minced everything pretty well - again, I figure everything's supposed to be a bit lumpy and uneven.  And Manchego may be a little more expensive, but worth it!  Think of the final product as less of a lasagna than a zesty potato salad?  Observe: