potatoes under straw

I have a patch of ground which someone  (probably myself) had dumped some gravel on it a long time ago and when I started to cultivate it I couldnt get all the stones out so I decided that over the years I could just keep digging in compost and manure and this would balance out the small stones.
In the meantime I read an article about growing potatoes on top of the ground covered with about 2 feet of straw. I tried this and when the potatoes which I put in the ground started to come through, I inspected the ones under the straw. They had hardly grown at all. I removed the straw and shovelled some compost on top of each potato and replaced the straw hoping that this will encourage them to grow now.
I will not be growing them that way again although on reflection it has possibly been the weather that has been at fault. We have had very little rain this spring and the straw has not had a chance to rot.
Does anyone else grow potatoes this way?.

I think I was a bit optimistic thinking that the pots would grow only in straw. I just hope I have put enough compost on them. If it is dry tomorrow I may go to the local stables and get some more rotted manure to cover them if I can get the straw off again without doing any damage.

Greenock has the reputation of it being always raining, however, this winter and spring we have had hardly any rain at all in spite of the experts saying that the winters will be milder and wetter due to climate change.

Not tried it myself, but I did read an article in Gardener's World magazine within the last year in which they tested several methods of growing spuds.

If I remember correctly "conventional" soil-growing and potato-bags did the best, and straw-growing the worst, although the article did suggest that the straw crop would have been better with more watering (for the purposes of the experiment they had to treat them all the same.)

Edit: senior spelling moment!

If growing in rotted straw only, would they get enough nitrogen?

I have vague recollections of a no dig method involving straw bales. They were repeatedly wetted with (I'm pretty sure) a compost activator mix, when the decomposition got going they got pretty warm, like a good compost heap should. I can't remember what they grew in them but I guess it was stuff that benefitted from the heat.

Edit, I think it may have been tomatoes, and they used tomato feed. I Think it might have been tomato feed they used to speed up the rotting too.

Link is broken, but thanks for the answer.