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View Full Version : Patatas Bravas - April '08



HealthyinMN
05-23-2008, 08:26 PM
We had these as a side earlier in the week and finally got a chance to post about them tonight (http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2008/05/lighter-fried-potatoes-with-spicy-sauce.html).

I have no clue how authentic they may be as I've never prepared or had these at a tapas place, but Jeff and I had a hard time not going back to the leftovers for extra bites! Even though they are only cooked in the water for a short time, it was just enough for them to finish cooking in the butter/oil combo without getting to tender. They crisped and browned quite well - just be sure to only turn them a couple times so the crust has a good chance to form. The sauce was tasty and the heat level can easily be adjusted to your taste... we ended up using a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper and that was spicy enough for us.

Patatas Bravas (Adapted from CL)

http://bp1.blogger.com/_J-s7w5-Rv84/SDdrqQWvCvI/AAAAAAAAE6U/BzuQI24toVk/s400/PotatoSauce-2.jpg

For the potatoes

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

For the sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 ounce can tomato sauce

To prepare the potatoes

In a medium saucepan, add potatoes and enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and allow to cook just until crisp-tender, about 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain well.

In a large skillet, melt butter and oil over medium-high. Add potato - sauté until browned, stirring only twice, about 8 minutes total. Stir in salt, red pepper and garlic - sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scoop mixture onto a plate and keep warm.

To prepare the sauce

Place the same skillet back over medium-high. Add oil - stir in onion and bell pepper. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt, red pepper (to taste use the higher amount if you like things extra spicy) and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour mixture into a food processor or blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Process until smooth. Serve potatoes with the sauce on the side.

Makes about 4 to 6 side servings.

margeslp
05-24-2008, 02:59 PM
Ole!!
Thanks. There are never enough tapas recipes

Alleycat
05-25-2008, 06:59 PM
Sounds great!

helios7
05-26-2008, 07:53 AM
Thanks for posting Joe. I had forgotten this recipe, and was so inspired that I rushed into the kitchen to make it for Saturday's breakfast. I followed the recipe for preparing the potatoes exactly (although I didn't quite measure butter so I might have added a bit more), and agree it was amazing how quickly they cooked after being parboiled. I skipped the sauce, and instead threw together a simple aioli with mayonaise, siracha hot sauce and a dash of ketchup. That worked very well contrasting the potatoes' heat with bit of cream spicy goodness.

Thanks again for sharing - I'll be making this recipe again! : )