Patatas Bravas
We've lightened up Patatas Bravas, the traditional Spanish tapas dish, by roasting the potatoes and serving it with a traditional spicy tomato-based sauce.
Patatas Bravas: A Spanish Tapas
Tapas is the Spanish classification for a snack or appetizer. Think of it like the American version of happy hour food. It is comprised of small plates that are perfect for snacking on while you sip a drink and relax with friends. (Dishes like these tapas meatballs or these tapas skewers.)
Patatas Bravas, translated as 'fierce' or 'angry' potatoes, could be considered the spicy, Spanish version of French fries.
It's a simple dish of bite-sized potato chunks which are fried and served with a spicy sauce. Depending on the region of Spain, you could find the potatoes served with a vinegar-based sauce, a garlic aioli (mayonnaise-type sauce), or a tomato sauce. But, no matter what sauce they come with, you can count on the fact that it will pack some heat.
Our Lightened Up Patatas Bravas
To keep things a bit on the lighter side, we opted to roast the potatoes, rather than deep fry them. With a light coating of butter (or duck fat, if you really want to get fancy), oven-roasting brings the chunks to a crisp and tender state of perfection.
Patatas Bravas is considered to be one of the spiciest tapas dishes in Spanish cuisine, however, the spice comes from the sauce, so you can dial the heat up or down depending on your preference. Our recipe below creates a sauce with only a mild spiciness, so go crazy on the cayenne if you like to kick things up.
Patatas Bravas
Ingredients
For the Potatoes
- 2 lbs russet potatoes, cut into ½ inch chunks
- 1 ½ teaspoon salted butter or bacon grease, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Spicy Tomato Sauce
- 1 teaspoon salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (more or less to determine the heat of your sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ c water
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
For the Potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 450F.
- Toss the potato chunks with 1 ½ teaspoon melted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp on the outside and tender within.
For the Spicy Tomato Sauce
- While the potatoes are roasting, heat 1 teaspoon butter in a small skillet. Add minced garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden, 1-2 min.
- Add tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, ¼ teaspoon salt, and sugar. Mix well and sauté 1-2 minutes to develop a nice deep flavor.
- Slowly add water, stirring as you add, to create a smooth sauce. Once the sauce is hot and smooth, remove it from the heat.
- Stir in vinegar. (The sauce should be thin and pour-able. If not, add a little more water to get it to a good consistency.)
- Serve crispy roasted potatoes drizzled with the warm sauce.
Nutrition
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
This looks so tasty! I am all about the potato recipes 🙂
You can't beat some good roasted potatoes!
I would make these just for the cool name....Patatas Bravas....perfect.
Yum. Tapas are a favourite of mine, but not so much J. These look delicious though!
I absolutely love patatas bravas. I order them whenever we go to our favorite Spanish tapas restaurant here in town. I have never made them myself. Now, I will! Thanks for cooking along with #TripleSBites, Sarah. I hope you had a good time.
These have become a new favorite for us! Thanks for organizing a great event!
That looks delicious!! I am definitely on the spice wimp side of the "heat" meter, so your version looks perfect to me!