Patatas Bravas

Name: Patatas Bravas
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 1 kg (2¼ lb) floury or all-purpose potatoes, peeled, in 3 cm (1¼ in) chunks; 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt, for the water, plus a pinch to finish; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 l (4 cups) olive or neutral oil, for frying (or 5 tbsp for the oven method); 2 tbsp olive oil; ½ onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika; ½ tsp hot smoked paprika or cayenne; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 200 g (¾ cup) passata; 150 ml (⅔ cup) Chicken Stock or water; 1 tsp sherry vinegar; ½ tsp sugar; 2 g (⅓ tsp) fine sea salt; 100 g (½ cup) Aioli, or good store-bought aioli; chopped parsley

Crisp potatoes with a smoky tomato bravas sauce and garlic aioli

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 1 h 5 min
Level: Some skill

The most-ordered tapa in Spain: chunks of potato fried until crisp, then served with a spicy, smoky tomato sauce and a garlic aioli. Parboiling the potatoes first, then roughing them up, gives a craggy crust and a fluffy center, and the oven version works almost as well as frying.

Ingredients

Potatoes

1 kgfloury or all-purpose potatoes (2¼ lb)peeled, in 3 cm (1¼ in) chunks
10 gfine sea salt (1¾ tsp)for the water, plus a pinch to finish
½ tspbaking soda
1 lolive or neutral oil (4 cups)for frying (or 5 tbsp for the oven method)

Bravas sauce

2 tbspolive oil
½onionfinely chopped
2 clovesgarlicchopped
2 tspsweet smoked paprika
½ tsphot smoked paprika or cayenne
1 tbspall-purpose flour
200 gpassata (¾ cup)
150 mlChicken Stock or water (⅔ cup)
1 tspsherry vinegar
½ tspsugar
2 gfine sea salt (⅓ tsp)

To serve

100 gAioli (½ cup)or good store-bought aioli
chopped parsley

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: egg, gluten, sulphites, celery
Origin: Spain

Method

Bring 2 L (2 qt) water to a boil with the 10 g salt and the baking soda. Add the potatoes and simmer until a knife slides in easily and the edges are soft, 8–10 minutes. 9 min
Drain, leave to steam-dry for 2 minutes, then shake the colander hard so the edges rough up. Spread on a tray and cool for 10 minutes. 12 min
Meanwhile make the sauce: heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and cook the onion until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, both paprikas and the flour and stir 1 minute. 6 min
Whisk in the passata and stock and simmer until thick, 8 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar and salt and blend smooth with a stick blender. Taste; it should be hot and smoky. 8 min
To fry: heat the oil in a heavy pot to 180°C (355°F). Fry the potatoes in two batches until deep golden and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Drain on paper towel and season with salt. 14 min
To roast instead: heat the oven to 230°C (450°F) with 5 tbsp oil on a sheet pan for 5 minutes. Toss the potatoes in the hot oil and roast until crisp and golden, 35–40 minutes, turning once.
Pile onto a plate, spoon over the bravas sauce and aioli, and scatter with parsley.

Why it works

Baking soda roughens the potato surface in the water, and shaking the cooked chunks creates a starchy paste on the outside that fries into a thick, craggy crust. Cooling before frying lets that surface dry, which means a crisper result. The flour gives the bravas sauce its silky, clinging body.

Common mistakes

Wet potatoes in hot oil: dangerous spitting and soggy results. Let them steam-dry.
Overcrowding the fryer: the oil drops and they go greasy.

Variations

Shortcut aioli: Stir 1 grated garlic clove into 100 g good mayonnaise with 1 tsp lemon juice.

Make ahead and storage

The sauce keeps 5 days in the fridge. Parboil the potatoes up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate uncovered.

Notes

Fan oven: 210°C (410°F). Store-bought stock may contain celery; use water if needed. Sherry vinegar contains sulphites. Homemade aioli is made with raw egg yolk: keep it chilled, use within 2 days, and use pasteurized yolk or the shortcut for vulnerable guests.