Patatas bravas – by Julie Le Clerc

(a delectable Spanish tapas dish of fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce). 

Serves 6-8 as an appetiser (tapas)

Spicy tomato sauce:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

400g can chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp Spanish sweet paprika

pinch or two chilli powder, to taste

pinch sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley

For the potatoes

800g floury potatoes, such as Agria

3 tbsp olive oil

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, chilli powder, sugar and a little salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until thick and pulpy. The sauce can be made several days in advance and reheated to serve.

For the potatoes, preheat the oven to 190°C. Cut the potatoes roughly into 2cm cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Spread over a roasting pan and toss with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown.

To serve, pile the potatoes into small dishes and spoon over the reheated sauce. Sprinkle with a little parsley. Have some toothpicks handy so people can use these to take portions of saucy potatoes and eat.

Notes:

• The name literally translates to brave potatoes but brave is used more in the sense of fierce. The sauce is fiercely flavoured and the dish fiercely enjoyed by both Spaniards and visitors to Spain.
• Patatas bravas is so popular in Spain that there is even a Spanish social networking site named after this dish.
• Traditionally the potatoes are deep-fried. I prefer to roast my potatoes instead of frying them - this gives a less greasy, but equally crisp result (and is also considerably easier in most home kitchens). 
• The sauce recipe varies regionally all over Spain – each region has it’s own special recipes twists, such as, in Valencia they add red peppers.
• In some regions, Patatas bravas is also topped with creamy garlic mayonnaise. Yummo!