About the recipe Perfectly crisp potatoes and a spiced tomato sauce make Patatas Bravas from Spain one of the world’s most iconic potato dishes. In our version, the potatoes get roasted in the oven, rather than deep fried, but by waiting to season them until the very end keeps all of the edges crispy and the insides fluffy.
About the Recipe
Ingredients
- For the potatoes:
- 1 kg Root Zero potatoes
- Mild olive oil, for roasting
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised with the side of a sharp knife
- 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- Leaves from ½ small bunch flat leaf parsley
- Flaky sea salt
- For the spicy tomato sauce (“Salsa Brava”) :
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 hot pickled peppers, finely chopped
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 200g tomato passata
- 1 tsp sherry vinegar
- 2 tbsp garlic allioli, plus extra for dipping
- Salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 220℃.
- Fill a saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, roughly chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes. When the water is boiling, lower into the potatoes and bring to the boil again. Par boil the potatoes for 6 minutes, until just tender to the point of a sharp knife. Lay a clean tea towel on a work surface and lift the potatoes out of the water with a slotted spoon, then pat dry.
- Pour enough mild olive oil into a large roasting tray to cover the base, then place on the middle shelf in the oven to get blazing hot for 3 minutes. Carefully tip the dried potatoes into the hot oil (carefully as the oil will spit), then turn them in the oil using a slotted spatula so that every piece of potato is coated in the oil and there is no overlap. Roast in the hot oven for 25 minutes, shaking the pan twice during this time.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Tip in the onion and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is completely soft. Add the garlic and pickled pepper and cook for a minute until fragrant, then stir in the dried spices. Continue to cook for another minute to toast the spices, then pour in the passata. Season with a pinch of salt and continue to cook and reduce for 15 minutes until the sauce is deeper in colour. Stir in the sherry vinegar, taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Stir the garlic and rosemary into the potatoes, then continue to cook in the oven for 5 minutes until the potatoes are completely golden and crispy.
- Spoon half of the tomato sauce on a serving dish and ripple through the garlic allioli. Use a slotted spatula to lift the potatoes onto the sauce, then top with the remaining sauce and the parsley. Sprinkle over a pinch of flaky salt and serve immediately with extra garlic aioli on the side for dipping.