Patatas Bravas
It is a staple across tapas menus, but it's time for you to bring it to your own home! It's Spain's famous Patatas Bravas.
Servings: 4
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.
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