Register

Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Chill out and chat with the foodie community or swap top tips.
NOTE: THE CURRENT CHATTERBOX IS IN THIS FORUM
User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 1:14 am

Patatas Bravas are an extraordinary favorite in Tapas Bars throughout The Iberian Peninsula where these crisp and crunchy bright red potato chunks never fail to delight ..

Here is our family recipe ..

1 Kilo of potatoes ( for frying ) sliced into large chunks.
Spanish Olive Oil for Frying ..
3O Grams of all purpose flour ..
1 / 2 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika - De La Vera, Extremadura ( Pimentón de La Vera ) ..
250 Ml. Beef stock strained to Beef Broth ..
30 Ml. Sherry Vinegar ..
1 tiny dried horn shaped chili pepper ( Capscium - Guindillas ) ..
Salt to taste ..
3 tablespoons of home made tomato sauce ..

1) Fry the potato chunks in Olive Oil on a low heat until Golden approx. 20 minutes to 25 minutes ..
2) Just before the end of the cooking time, turn up the heat to brown the potato wedges and transfer drained to a casserole.
3) Preparing the Brava Spicy Salsa:
Heat 1 tblsp of Olive Oil in a sauce pan ( large ), and add the flour slowly and the Smoked Pimentón Paprika, and gradually add the broth, stirring constantly.
4) Now add the sherry vinegar and the chili pepper and simmer on low slow flame for approx. 8 to 10 minutes stirring constantly ..
5) Check the salsa and the seasoning .. and salt to taste .. The Salsa should be thick and a deep burnt orange red color ..
6) Remove the sauce from the heat ..
7) Add the Marinara tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes ( room temperature ) and combine well .. One can use a stand up mixer ..
8) Serve the potatoes drizzled lightly with the Salsa Brava ..

It is also very common here to serve the Salsa Brava on one side of the serving platter and to prepare a home made Ali Oli and drizzle on the other side of the platter ..

Ali Oli:

2 or 3 cloves of garlic ( small and minced )
1 Egg Yolk at room temperature
250 Ml. Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( 100 % Hojiblanca is what I use )
Salt to taste
a drizzle of fresh squeezed lemon juice ( 1 scant teaspoon )

1) Mince the garlic cloves in a mortar with pestle until creamy in texture ..
2) Add the yolk of the egg and combine or use a Stand Up Mixer ..
3) Now trickle in the Evoo very very slowly, stirring constantly in the same direction with the pestle or spatula and combine thoroughly.
4) Salt to taste, and add the lemon juice and combine well ..
5) The Ali Oli should be very thick like a Mayonaise in Texture ..

Have a lovely weekend ..

:thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup :wino :wino :wino
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 3687
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Cheltenumb

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Gillthepainter » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:00 am

Did somebody mention patatas bravas. I absolutely love them.
Thank you for the family recipes.

I started a thread yonks ago and got variations.
But the one I most liked when I tried them came from Clive's KaradeKA's direction, which included mayonnaise as an additional extra.
So your ali oli is right up there too.

Nice one.

My family would love it, when I next visit and cook for them. Patatas bravas it is!

User avatar
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2016 6:07 pm

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Badger's Mate » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:17 am

I admit we have a somewhat inauthentic recipe at home, courtesy of Michael Michaud from Cool Green Leaves & Red Hot Peppers, but it is a favourite with Mrs B. Par-boiled spuds roasted with a paste of olive oil, tomato purée, garlic, smoked paprika and salt, until they brown and crisp.

At our excellent local tapas bar, we always order one patatas bravas and one patatas alioli in the first round of eating. We're going there next week and shall do the same :yum

User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:26 am

@Gilt the Painter,

Thank you for the feedback.

My grandsons go bonkers for Patatas Bravas ! (age 6 and 7 ) ..

It is definitely one of my fave Tapas too ..

Have a lovely weekend ..

:thumbsup :thumbsup
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:29 am

Badgers Mate,

Thank you for all your feedback ..

They are extremely popular in Spain .. with both the Salsa Brava and the Ali Oli ..

Have a lovely weekend .. :thumbsup :thumbsup
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 3687
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Cheltenumb

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Gillthepainter » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:48 am

You've got patatas bravas chains over there. Can't remember the name.
Which only serve the potatoes - we've been in them before and had quite the variety.

As we are people who don't eat potatoes or very rarely, it's great.


Lucky you, Badgers on having a super tapas place local to you.
We don't - although I'm happy to make it at home anyway.

User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:54 am

The Gilt Painter,

Yes, there are several chains however, there are several classic Tapas Bars and Wine Bars that do a remarkable job too ..

My Mom ´s are to die for and go to heaven ! However, the best I have ever had are in Madrid, at a tiny hole in the wall Bar in a Castizo ( traditional ) Spanish neighborhood about 22 minutes from the Callao or Gran Via Underground Stations ..

I rarely eat fried food however, I do enjoy my monthly splurges of having Patatas Bravas .. and Fried Calamari ..

Have a great weekend .. :thumbsup :thumbsup
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 3687
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Cheltenumb

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Gillthepainter » Sat Mar 03, 2018 12:22 pm

Alexandria, I'm always having calamari for a starter.
It's something I never make at home, but have out on holiday.

I shall pick your brains next time we are travelling down through Spain. It's likely to be via Madrid this year.

User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:57 pm

Gilt the Painter,

I shall be more than pleased to give you a list of some our fave Madrid Capital Tapas Bars, and Restaurants & their addresses & Underground Stations ..

It is a grand city steeped profoundly in the Tapas Culture ..

All my best for a lovely weekend ..
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 4139
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:02 pm
Location: Stoke Newington, London

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:30 pm

I was quite surprised when I first had proper crisp patatas bravas, in many UK tapas restaurants (and to be fair, sometimes in Spanish seaside resorts) the potatoes are left in the salsa and reheated, so not at all crisp. The situation has improved though

User avatar
Posts: 58
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby scullion » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:01 pm

we were quite surprised when, having ordered patatas bravas in a 'restaurant' in salamanca, we were served chips with a bottle of ketchup!

User avatar
Posts: 1091
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:49 pm
Location: USA

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby mark111757 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:31 pm

Allioli, alioli or aioli?

When worked at the store, chef taught us, aioli. And the garlic sure would clear your head out. Thanks to a bit of a cheat I suppose but we used a food processor and had consistent results. As I recall it was good to dip breaded deep fried shrimp in or fish and chips.


https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/all ... 0314-34t7h

Posts: 1266
Joined: Thu May 03, 2012 10:35 am

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Lusciouslush » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:25 pm

scullion wrote:we were quite surprised when, having ordered patatas bravas in a 'restaurant' in salamanca, we were served chips with a bottle of ketchup!


:lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for that.................best laugh I've had all day!

Posts: 1266
Joined: Thu May 03, 2012 10:35 am

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Lusciouslush » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:28 pm

[quote="Gillthepainter"]Alexandria, I'm always having calamari for a starter.
It's something I never make at home, but have out on holiday.

Grilly - it's the easiest thing ever to cook - only minutes!

User avatar
Posts: 4139
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:02 pm
Location: Stoke Newington, London

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:38 pm

mark111757 wrote:Allioli, alioli or aioli

I would tend to say aioli, but I speak French not Catalan or Spanish, is that the difference?


mark111757 wrote:When worked at the store, chef taught us, aioli. And the garlic sure would clear your head out. Thanks to a bit of a cheat I suppose but we used a food processor

I use a Bamix stick blender
So do many Spaniards - in fact Alexandria mentions a stand up mixer herself

User avatar
Posts: 1091
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:49 pm
Location: USA

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby mark111757 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 6:58 pm

Mum gave me her oskar before she died.....a small unit but it does a hell of a job. Made aioli at home with it. Either one or two cup capacity but it was great.

https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-Oskar-Or ... B0000E6FJE

User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:19 pm

Stokey Sue & Mark,


Ali oli = Spanish .. pronounced Alee o lee ..

And in Catalan: Allioli .. pronounced Ah Ji o lee ..

Aioli = French ..

Have a nice weekend ..
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 923
Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Barcelona

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Alexandria » Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:28 pm

Scuillon,

Question: What did you ask for in Spanish ?

I have only done tourism business in Salamanca so I am not an expert by any means on the city´s restaurants. However, Time Out Spain has an excellent section on Salamanca ..

Sounds as if there was a mis-understanding and it is a University City so many of the restaurants have staff that do speak English ..

Did you show the waiter or waitress what you wanted on the Carte ?

This sounds like a true blunder ..

Have a nice weekend ..
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

User avatar
Posts: 4139
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:02 pm
Location: Stoke Newington, London

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:47 pm

I'm sure scullion would have asked for patatas bravas, as that is what we call them in English! T

User avatar
Posts: 3687
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:53 am
Location: Cheltenumb

Re: Spicy Potato Chunks = Patatas Bravas With 2 Salsas

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:27 am

Damn, Scullion. That's annoying.
You can certainly buy brave sauce that's in a squeezy bottle - was it at least spicy ketchup?
In fact you can buy hot Heinz tomato ketchup here ..... which pretty much ruins a prawn cocktail sauce.

Next

Return to Food Chat & Chatterbox

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests