Patatas Bravas, which means brave, or fierce, potatoes, are crispy fried potatoes topped with a spicy tomato-based sauce. The sauce varies regionally, sometimes it's a thick, rustic-style sauce, sometimes a smooth, creamy one. The creamy version, which is created by the addition of aioli or mayonnaise, seems to be more common in America.
In addition to being this blog's namesake, patatas bravas are my measuring stick for tapas restaurants. It is often the first thing out of the kitchen after ordering, and it gives a preview of what's to come: if the place doesn't care enough to make a decent version of this common, easy-to-prepare dish, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the meal! And although it is a simple dish, it can be really spectacular - crisp oily potatoes are the perfect vehicle for the spicy but nuanced sauce.
For my first try at replicating this dish at home, I read just about every recipe Google served up. The common denominators were tomatoes, garlic, onions, chilies (or tabasco, or red pepper flakes, or cayenne). Other popular additions included thyme, paprika, cumin, flour, vinegar and ketchup.
Patatas Bravas
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 small dried red chilies
- 1 14oz can stewed tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
- A dash each of paprika and dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil
- 1 egg yolk (or jarred mayonnaise)
- Yellow potatoes (any kind of potato will do)
I sautéed the onions, garlic and chilies in a splash of olive oil, until soft, then added the tomatoes, paprika and thyme and simmered for about 15-20 minutes - fresh tomatoes would need additional cooking time. While it was simmering, I made the mayonnaise with the egg yolk and olive oil. When the tomato sauce had reduced, so that there was no excess liquid and I had a nice thick mixture, I took it off the heat and, using and immersion blender, blended it until it was roughly uniform. Then I mixed the mayonnaise and tomato sauce together - you can vary the ratio to taste, although I found that 1 yolk's worth of mayonnaise to 14 oz of tomatoes is about right.
Meanwhile, I cut the potatoes into bite-sized cubes and parboiled them. After draining and drying them, I fried them in a shallow layer or oil. You can also deep-fry them, of course, and I would really like to try this sauce over oven-fries as well.
I can't say that this topped any of my favorite tapas restaurants, but as a dish to add to my weeknight dinner repertoire, I was quite happy with it.
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