Patatas bravas are well-known in Britain, but have you ever tried making them yourself? I find patatas bravas a bit hit and miss when eating out, as it is all too easy for restaurants to serve up soggy chips with a bland mayonnaise and ketchup sauce. This homemade patatas bravas recipe will convince you of the power of the potato, with a knock-out spicy smoky sauce that is unbelievably more-ish. We loved the sauce so much that we ended up wiping the leftovers out of the container with carrot sticks, as we couldn´t bear to throw any away!
In Spain, they usually add one drop of tabasco to patatas bravas and then complain that they are far too spicy, but as we were preparing this recipe for a British palatte, we´ve added a kick with fresh chilli. Feel free to play around with the heat to your own personal taste. You can also vary the type of paprika for a different feel – we love smoked paprika, but you could also use sweet or spicy (if you do use spicy, careful with adding extra chilli!)
Just add potatoes for the classic Spanish patatas bravas recipe.
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 medium potatoes
200 ml of chopped tinned tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp paprika (spicy/smoked/sweet)
1/4 of a fresh chilli (more/less if you prefer)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks, around 3 cm square. Boil until soft in a large saucepan.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, place the tomatoes with 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan. Cover and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced. Leave to cool.
4. When the potatoes are soft, remove from the heat and drain. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large baking tray (or to cover the base) and add potatoes. Cook until the outsides are crispy and golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.
5. When the tomatoes are cool, blend with the garlic, paprika and chilli using a hand-held blender. When blended, add the mayonnaise and stir until mixed.
6. Place the potatoes on a plate and spoon the sauce over. We added some chopped chives as a garnish, but this is optional. Serve with small forks or toothpicks for easy eating!
Suitable for many special diets (vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan if you use vegan mayonnaise).
