Tapas Series: Patatas Bravas

This is such a typical tapas dish and it literally translates as "spicy potatoes". I've had this dish in a few tapas restaurants and wasn't overwhelmed, it looked as though they just poured a cheap tomato sauce over the fried "chip like" potatoes and added mayo on top.

This recipe is how it should be! The potatoes are slow cooked in the oven for an hour and are sooooo heavenly!! The sauce does not come out of a bottle and has a nice kick to it....and no mayo in sight!

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 227g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. tomato puree
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• good pinch chilli powder
• pinch sugar
• chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

For the potatoes:

• 900g potato
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Prepare ahead by heating the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for abut 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, chilli powder, sugar and salt and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 10 minutes until pulpy. Set aside for up to 24 hours.

To serve, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Cut the potatoes into small cubes and pat dry with kitchen paper. Spread over a roasting tin and toss in the oil, then season. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and golden.

Tip the potatoes into a dish and spoon over the reheated sauce, then sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.


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Our tapas spread!