In every country there is a special dish that is readily available throughout the land and in some cases, many towns are actually well known purely due to the quality of the national dishes on offer in the locality.
Spain of course is no different. With its world-renowned Pallella and Albondigas to name a couple but one of my absolute favourites has to be has a fried potato dish called Patatas Bravas, (fried potatoes with a spicy sauce). It is said that Patatas Bravas was originally from Madrid however this true Spanish culinary treasure is widely available throughout Spain and in some cases, just like ours, some towns are very proud to be known for the quality of their Patatas Bravas.
Potatoes are cubed into small pieces and deep-fried in oil (in Spain, this would almost always be olive oil) until they are golden and crispy then drizzled generously with a delicious smokey, sweet and spicy paprika sauce.
One thing is for sure, once you have started making your own Patatas Bravas, you will never stop, it will become your go-to dish when entertaining or just chilling with friends.
Patatas Bravas
Course: Appetizers, Side DishersCuisine: SpanishDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes20
minutesIngredients
- For the Fried Potatoes
3-4 Potatoes (medium sized or 2-3 large potatoes)
Oilive or Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Fine sea salt
- For the Bravas Sauce
11/2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 knob of butter
2 Finely chopped banana shallots (or 1 small onion)
Garlic cloves, (medium sized, crushed)
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
Fine sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can of plum tomatoes
Directions
- Place your olive oil and the knob of butter into a medium-sized frying pan and place the pan on a medium heat. Add your chopped onion and gently fry for approximately 5-6 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add your garlic, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Allow the flavours to infuse for two minutes.
- With your hands, crush the tinned tomatoes and add them to the pan along with the smoked paprika, sugar and Tabasco sauce.
Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce and has slightly thickened. - Take the pan off the heat and using the back of a ladle, pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl. This method will ensure that you have a smooth glossy sauce with no bits left in it, then simply discard the bits that are left in the sieve.
Keep your sauce warm and ready to drizzle over your golden and crispy fried potatoes. - Heat your oil to 180 oC/ 400oF. Peel and chop your potatoes into approximately 3 – 4cm cubes then place the cubes onto some kitchen towel to dry off the potatoes as much as possible.
- Deep fry your cubed potatoes until they are crispy and golden in colour. Turn out onto some kitchen towel to drain any excess oil from the potatoes.
Serve your crispy Patatas a bowl drizzled with your Bravas sauce and enjoy.
