BRAVO FOR PATATAS BRAVAS

A few years ago if you asked me what Patatas Bravas were I wouldn't of had a clue. Then, all of a sudden with the growth spurt of the tapas restaurant in Liverpool they became all the rage, so much so that I was actually beginning to get board of them and started giving them a right swerve. Time has passed and I thought I should try and rekindle my initial love for this Spanish tapas favorite and and came up with this delicious recipe for a delicious bowl of tomato and herb goodness poured over crispy little potato cubes of joy.

Getting those potatoes nice and crispy is your main aim with patatas bravas and for this I find the good old Maris piper is the way forward. I would say you need about 1 large baking sized potato per person making this recipe suitable for four (or two very hungry people!). If you want to use a different type or size of potato then make sure it's one that will keep its shape after roasting (sweet potatoes are a no no!) and use as many as you would eat per person normally and adjust the quantities of the sauce as required. 

I may of cheated a little bit with the sauce. Part of my flavourly box a couple of days ago was a jar of Gran Luchito smoked chili ketchup that I thought would make a delicious sauce and by golly I was right. Made from chili and blended sun dried tomatoes this ketchup are packed full of flavor and really turn the sauce on these potatoes into something really special. Gran Luchito also make amazing chili pastes which is yummy dolloped into chili con carnes and bolognases. Go and hunt out your nearest stockist or place an order via the link to the website here.


If you don't have any chili ketchup you can of course make the sauce from scratch. Use either a tin of chopped tomatoes and add some chili and garlic in addition to the tomato paste and parsley used in the recipe below or fill your boot and make it from scratch using fresh tomatoes. Just make sure  if you do use fresh tomatoes that you chop the tomatoes in half and scoop out the watery insides otherwise your sauce will just be too runny and full of seeds which can ruin the texture of the sauce.

Lets get to it. Follow the recipe below and you'll be throwing a fiesta around your kitchen in no time!

Patatas Bravas

4 Large Potatoes, Peeled And Cut Into 2cm Cubed Pieces
A Good Glug Of Vegetable Oil

2 Garlic Cloves

210g Smoked Chili Ketchup

1 Tbsp Tomato Paste

Handfull Chopped Parsley Leaves

Salt And Pepper To Season

1.  Begin by turning your oven up to 220 degrees (200 fan) and place you diced potatoes into a pan of cold water. Bring them up to the boil and then simmer for ten minutes. 
2. Whilst the potatoes are simmering, line a roasting tin with foil and pour in the oil so that it covers the whole base of the tin with a thin layer of oil. Crush the garlic cloves to break the skins but leave them whole and add them to the tray. Place the tray in the oven to heat up the oil.
3. Once the potatoes have finished simmering, drain off thewater and then shake the potatoes slightly to fluff up the outsides but don't go made as you still want them to retain their shape.
4. Remove the tray with the hot oil and carefully tip in the potatoes and toss them gently with a spoon to coat them in the oil. Place the tray back in the oven and roast for 10 - 15 minutes until crispy and golden.
5. Whilst the potatoes roast, take a saucepan on a medium heat and pour in the chili ketchup, tomato paste and parsley leaves (same some to garnish if you wish). Season with salt and pepper, stir and warm through on a medium heat until bubbling. Add in a tbsp or two of water to loosen up the sauce if you find it to be too thick.
6. Once everything has cooked, remove the potatoes from the oven and place into a large bowl and scoop over the tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Serve you patatas bravas straight away that way you will experience optimum potato crispiness under that beautifully deep smoky spicy sauce. Its delicious and your defo going to be using those little cubes of amazeballsness to mop up every last drop. Its such a great dish for plonking on a dinner party table and, in the spirit of the Spanish and their tapas culture just get everyone to dive in and help themselves. They are such a little versatile little side dish. So easy to make and so much more tastier then just serving up chips for dinner. 

Bravo for patatas bravas!