It would be nearly impossible to discuss Spanish cuisine without mentioning tapas. You can find the delicious mixture of snacks/appetizers being served in practically every bar throughout the country. And while the type of tapas can vary from region to region, or even bar to bar, there are a number of staples you will almost always find. Some of the most common classics include dishes like croquettes, gambas al ajillo, Spanish tortilla, and pinchitos. But today I want to show you how to make the king of them all, patatas bravas.
A Better Way to Make Patatas Bravas at Home
In my opinion, the best aspect of patatas bravas is the dish’s simplicity. It’s just bite-sized pieces of crispy fried potatoes all smothered in a smoked paprika sauce. However, like most people, I’m not a huge fan of deep-frying things at home. So instead I prefer to make my patatas bravas by roast the potatoes in the oven.
It saves you from the hassle of cleaning up the mess that inevitably results from deep-frying things at home. There’s no chance of accidentally starting a fire from hot oil splattering onto your stovetop burner. And it’s undeniably healthier than deep frying the potatoes, all without having to sacrifice the flavor and texture.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Traditional bravas sauce is made from a mixture of pimenton dulce (sweet smoked paprika), and pimenton picante (hot smoked paprika). You should be able to find sweet smoked paprika in just about any store, however, if you are having trouble finding hot smoked paprika you have two options. 1. Use only sweet smoked paprika, which won’t be spicy. 2. you can swap out the hot smoked paprika with cayenne pepper.
- The bravas sauce can also be made ahead of time and stored in your fridge for at least a couple of days. I particularly like to put it in a squeeze bottle.
Patatas Bravas (Roasted) Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
2 Lbs of Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks (about ¾ inch)
⅓ Cup of olive oil
Salt to taste
For the bravas sauce:
⅓ Cup of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon of flour
1 Cup of chicken stock
1 Teaspoon of red wine vinegar
½ Teaspoon of sugar
Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉ or 204℃.
- Give the potatoes a water bath (optional): Giving your potatoes a soak in cold water isn’t necessary, but it will remove a lot of excess starch and result in crispier roasted potatoes. To do it simply get out a large bowl and add your peeled and cut potatoes to it. Cover them with cold water along with a couple of ice cubes and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Then drain the potatoes and pat them dry with some towels.
- Roast the potatoes: Get out a large mixing bowl and toss the potatoes in the ⅓ cup of oil. Transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet making sure that the potatoes are dispersed evenly, and sprinkle them with some salt.
Place this in your heated oven and let the potatoes bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour making sure to flip them with a spatula every 10 to 15 minutes. You will know the potatoes are done when they are nicely browned and easily pierced by a fork. 
- Make bravas sauce: While the potatoes are roasting you can make the bravas sauce. Start by heating up the ⅓ cup of olive oil in a pan or skillet over medium heat. Toss in the smoked paprika and flour, whisking for a minute until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, about a splash at a time, and continue to whisk until the stock is incorporated with the other ingredients. Continue to whisk the sauce for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it has slightly reduced and thickened. Add in the teaspoon of vinegar, the ½ teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste, whisk to incorporate.
- Plate the potatoes and pour the bravas sauce over top, enjoy!
Patatas Bravas (Roasted) Recipe
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 2 Lbs of Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into bite sized chunks (about ¾ inch)
- ⅓ Cup of olive oil
- Salt to taste
For the bravas sauce:
- ⅓ Cup of olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons of smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon of flour
- 1 Cup of chicken stock
- 1 Teaspoon of red wine vinegar
- ½ Teaspoon of sugar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉ or 204℃.
- Give the potatoes a water bath (optional): Giving your potatoes a soak in cold water isn’t necessary, but it will remove a lot of excess starch and result in crispier roasted potatoes. To do it simply get out a large bowl and add your peeled and cut potatoes to it. Cover them with cold water along with a couple of ice cubes and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then drain the potatoes and pat them dry with some towels.
- Roast the potatoes: Get out a large mixing bowl and toss the potatoes in the ⅓ cup of oil. Transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet making sure that the potatoes are dispersed evenly, and sprinkle them with some salt. Place this in your heated oven and let the potatoes bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour making sure to flip them with a spatula every 10 to 15 minutes. You will know the potatoes are done when they are nicely browned and easily pierced by a fork.
- Make bravas sauce: While the potatoes are roasting you can make the bravas sauce. Start by heating up the ⅓ cup of olive oil in a pan or skillet over medium heat. Toss in the smoked paprika and flour, whisking for a minute until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, about a splash at a time, and continue to whisk until the stock is incorporated with the other ingredients. Continue to whisk the sauce for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it has slightly reduced and thickened. Add in the teaspoon of vinegar, the ½ teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste, whisk to incorporate.
- Plate the potatoes and pour the bravas sauce over top, enjoy!
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