It’s a holiday favourite for so many of us. The Spanish solution to French Fries or potato chips. Patatas bravas originated in Spain and are found on tapas menus around the world. But what is patatas bravas? Breaking it down, the patatas is obviously the potato part, and the bravas? That’s the delicious smokey red sauce that is poured on top or dipped into.
Jump to Recipe
Patatas Bravas
This is such a classic Spanish dish and one of their favourite tapas menu items! If you want to feel like a Spaniard at home, there are some tips and tricks that my Spanish mum has taught me for nailing patatas bravas.
My top Patatas Bravas tips
- Season your potatoes: sprinkle them with kosher sea salt once boiled as this will flavour them.
- Parboil your potatoes: You can’t skip the boil. This makes sure that your potatoes are fluffy on the inside after being fried.
- Give yourself time! Allow the potatoes to cool before frying them – this will remove moisture. In fact, consider boiling the potatoes the night before. This is a great way to save on time and to also ensure the potatoes are 100% dry when you go to fry them.
- Fry the potatoes in batches to keep the temperature right and to not overcrowd the pot. Your oil can spill over when too many potatoes go into the hot oil!
- Olive oil is important. This is what gives the patatas bravas it’s unique flavour and colour. While you could substitute the olive oil for another neutral oil, I would really try to avoid doing this if possible!
The bravas
Now that you’ve mastered the patatas part, it’s time for a bit of bravas! The savoury sauce is a major component. It’s about combining the perfect blend of spices, from a sweet and smoky paprika and a touch of brown sugar. The sugar is used to balance out the acidity of tinned tomatoes and tomato paste. It’s with these ingredients that you are able to get the deep red colour that is synonymous with this classic Spanish side dish.
Garlic aioli
But, look – would it be a Daen’s Kitchen recipe without a bit of a spin on it? I’ve decided to add the classic dipping sauce for potatoes – from chips to wedges. It’s garlic aioli – of course! Punchy strong flavours that can only come with making your own aioli (and confiting the garlic!) this will really elevate the side of spuds. If you are short on time, you can replace the garlic confit with two raw garlic cloves. If you can’t get your hands on light olive oil, use equal parts olive oil to equal parts neutral oil to balance out the flavours. And don’t forget to use the oil that you cooked the garlic confit in!
If you make this Patats Bravas recipe, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Images by Alanna Penn Photography.
Patatas Bravas
Ingredients
Garlic confit aioli
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 cup light olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt
Patatas Bravas
- 1 kg Yukon gold or Russet potatoes 2.2lbs
- 1 tsp bi-carb soda
- 8 cups extra virgin olive oil 1L + 2 tbsp extra
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 red capsicum finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 mL tinned tomatoes 14oz
- salt + pepper
Instructions
Garlic aioli
- Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius / 250 degrees Farenheit.
- Peel the garlic by breaking the cloves away and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Submerge in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and drain. The skin will become loose and easy to peel away.
- Place the garlic cloves into an ovenproof dish and fully submerge in olive oil. It's important the garlic is fully submerged in the olive oil so it does not burn. As this is a small batch, bake for 1 hour or until the garlic has browned in colour. Drain the oil from the garlic and mash the garlic up with the back of a spoon or flat knife.
- Place all remaining ingredients, including the garlic confit, into a tall glass container or jug that is just wide enough to fit an immersion blender. Using an immersion blender, blend all ingredients together being careful to not move the blender up and down to begin with. Once the ingredients begin to emulsify, move the blender up and down while slowly incorporating all of the oil. Continue until you have a thick consistency.
Patatas Bravas
- Peel and cut the potatoes into large 2inch / 5cm cubes. Place into a large bowl and submerge in cold water. Rinse the potatoes until the water turns cloudy, drain and then repeat until the water is clear. This step will remove some of the starch from the potatoes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Place the bi-carb soda into the water. Once boiling, add the potatoes to the pot and boil for 5 minutes. You do not want to the potatoes to be soft or fork tender. They need to still be quite firm. Drain the potatoes and lay onto a clean towel or absorbent paper. Remove as much as the moisture as possible. Place the potatoes onto a baking tray or large plate and season with a generous amount of salt. Place the potatoes into the fridge until they are cold and 100% of the moisture has been removed.
- While the potatoes cool, prepare the bravas sauce. In a large saucepan on a medium heat, bring two tablespoons of olive oil to heat. Add the onion, garlic and red capsicum and saute for 7 minutes or until fragrant and translucent. Add the smoked and sweet paprika and the brown sugar to the pan and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomato pasted and fry for 2 minutes or until it turns deep red and is almost sticking to the pan. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce is quick thick.
- Allow the bravas sauce to slightly cool and then transfer to a blender. Blend until you have a smooth and thick sauce.
- Remove the potatoes from the fridge. Fill a wide and deep fry pan with the olive oil and bring to the heat. Once the oil is bubbling (test with a wooden skewer), add the potatoes and cook for 8 – 10 minutes in batches or until golden and crispy.
- Drain the potatoes on a wire rack, allowing the excess oil to drip off. Place into a bowl and drizzle with the bravas sauce all over. You can also drizzle over the garlic confit aioli or serve on the side.
Thanks for the information. now we know how to make delicious food. now i know cooking methode.
This is one of my grandson’s favorite dishes , so I am dying to try it on my family next Sunday . I will let you know the outcome ! Thank you so much for the recipe !! God bless !!