Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (2024)

Close your eyes. Think of a sunny day, strolling through colorful streets, watching a couple of dance flamenco, bull runs in Pamplona, wine, paella, and tapas. Yes, I’m talking about Spain.

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Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (1)

A country where people love to gather after work and have a glass of wine or a beer and a couple of plates of “tapas”.

Finger food to be shared with friends. Bravas Potatoes is a classic tapas food, and this easy Patatas Bravas recipe will bring you a taste of Spain directly to your home.

Pan-fried to perfection, these potatoes have been pre-boiled for a few minutes in a fragrant broth with spices to infuse flavor, and the Patatas Bravas sauce recipe will blow your mind. Mayo-based, with garlic and spices, it is fiery and delicious. You will definitely love this one!

Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (2)

HOW TO MAKE PATATAS BRAVAS?

  1. To make the dipping sauce, using a mortar or food processor, make a paste with the garlic, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt
  2. To this paste, add mayonnaise, sherry vinegar, tomato paste, a pinch of cayenne, and chipotle chili powder. Mix until well combined, cover, and refrigerate
  3. Make the spice mix for sprinkling over fried potatoes. In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp salt, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp chipotle chile powder, and pepper to taste. Set aside for later.
  4. Prepare your cooking broth for potatoes: measure 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, cumin, and bay leaves, and add to a medium pot with 2 quarts of water
  5. Bring broth to a boil and add potato cubes. Cook for 5 to 6 mins, just until a bit tender but not fully cooked. Strain and let potatoes cool completely.
  6. Heat 2 cups of oil in a medium-sized skillet and fry potatoes until golden brown. Place fried potatoes in a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with the reserved spice mix.

Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (3)

WHAT POTATOES ARE BEST FOR PATATAS BRAVAS?

The best varieties for frying are Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Soaking them in water for 30 mins, or boiling them in water for a few minutes before frying, makes for crispier fried potatoes.

These steps remove a bit of the starch from the potatoes which allow for better frying and makes them absorb less oil.

DO YOU PEEL POTATOES FOR PATATAS BRAVAS?

Yes, you do. This step is crucial since we are boiling them prior to frying. If you don’t peel them, this step won’t be as successful.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PATATAS BRAVAS

This is a finger food that can be served with cold cuts like Jamon Iberico or Jamon Serrano. Manchego cheese, marinated roasted peppers, marinated olives, or “tortilla española” are all tapas staples.

RECIPE TIPS:

  1. If you are a garlic lover, you might want to add 2 garlic cloves to your dipping sauce
  2. Check your finished sauce after mixing in the spices. If you like it hotter, add a bit more cayenne pepper.
  3. Do not overcook the potatoes while boiling them. Otherwise, they will disintegrate while frying.
  4. Do not skip the boiling step. The spice broth gives them a great flavor and makes them crispier.
  5. Add the spice mix as soon as they come out of the oil so it sticks to the cubes
  6. Eat them as soon as you finish frying them. Don’t let them get cold!

Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (4)

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

  • CHEESY SCALLOPED POTATOES
  • ROASTED POTATOES AND CARROTS
  • MEXICAN POTATOES
  • THE BEST BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES!

Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (5)

Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe

Patatas Bravas recipe will bring you a taste of Spain directly to your home.

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Dipping sauce:

  • 1 garlic clove, minced (or more to taste)
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or more to taste
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Spice blend:

  • 1 tbsp salt
  • ½ ground pepper
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp ground chipotle peppers
  • 2 quarts of water
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 cups oil for frying

Instructions

  • To make the dipping sauce, using a mortar or food processor, make a paste with the garlic, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt

  • To this paste, add mayonnaise, sherry vinegar, tomato paste, a pinch of cayenne, and chipotle chili powder. Mix until well combined, cover, and refrigerate

  • Make the spice mix for sprinkling over fried potatoes. In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp salt, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp chipotle chile powder, and pepper to taste. Set aside for later.

  • Prepare your cooking broth for potatoes: measure 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, cumin, and bay leaves, and add to a medium pot with 2 quarts of water

  • Heat 2 cups of oil in a medium-sized skillet and fry potatoes until golden brown. Place fried potatoes in a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with the reserved spice mix.

  • Bring broth to a boil and add potato cubes. Cook for 5 to 6 mins, just until a bit tender but not fully cooked. Strain and let potatoes cool completely.

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Easy Patatas Bravas Recipe : How to Make It... (2024)

FAQs

How do you use Bravas mix? ›

Our favourite way is to make a quick tomato sauce with the blend – simply heat through a carton of passata seasoned with four or five teaspoons of Patatas Bravas blend, then drizzle the sauce over your fried potatoes. A 'dry' version can be made simply by tossing the fried potatoes in the spice blend.

What is Patatas Bravas sauce made of? ›

Bravas sauce (salsa brava) is easy to make with a few simple pantry ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, and tomato paste! Perfect for drizzling atop hot fried potatoes to make delicious patatas bravas. But you'll find many uses for this delicious red sauce.

What is Patatas Bravas served with? ›

Patatas bravas is a Spanish dish of fried potato pieces served with a spicy garlicky tomato sauce. It's enjoyed as a tapa (appetizer) in tapas bars and homes throughout Spain — usually accompanied with a little wine, sherry or beer and lots of good conversation.

What are Patatas Bravas called in English? ›

Patatas bravas (Spanish: [paˈtatas ˈβɾaβas], also called patatas a la brava or papas bravas, all meaning "spicy potatoes") is a dish native to Spain. It typically consists of white potatoes that have been cut into 2-centimeter (0.79 in)-wide cubes, then fried in oil and served warm with a spicy "brava" sauce.

Why is it called Patatas Bravas? ›

Patatas bravas, or spicy potato as it is translated, originates from Madrid and is a traditional Spanish cuisine typcially served to share. Patatas means “potato” in Spanish, and bravas is the sauce and lends to the term “spicy”. They make for a perfect start to a delicious meal with friends or loved ones.

Where is Patatas Bravas made? ›

Madrid, Spain, claims a signature on Patatas Bravas, which is never missing on the menu at any known tapas. The dish dates back to 1542 after Spain concurred with the Inca Empire to bring back their agricultural produce, such as tomatoes.

Can you buy ready made patatas bravas? ›

Waitrose Patatas Bravas & Chorizo180g

Perfect enjoyed alongside our Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Tuna, Ricotta & Olive and Gigante beans with roasted pepper sauce, for an effortless yet delicious tapas platter.

What does bravas mean in Spanish? ›

Bravo/brava is an adjective with various meanings in Spanish. We use it when we want to say someone is brave or courageous. In some Spanish-speaking countries, however, bravo/brava is also used as a synonym for angry, mad or upset. This adjective can also help us describe the world around us by meaning rough or fierce.

Who made patatas bravas? ›

Patatas bravas are a classic Spanish dish that was created sometime after 1542 when the Spanish conquered the Inca empire and tubers became a more common food in Europe. The dish originates from Madrid where it became widely known as fried potatoes in a served with a spicy tomato sauce.

What is a bravas tapas? ›

Introduction. I do not remember seeing one tapas bar that does not serve the classic potatos called "bravas". It consists of a simple fried potatoes usually served with a spicy sauce and often with a second sauce made with garlic called "ajoaceite" or "aioli".

What is a fun fact about patatas bravas? ›

Fist theory says patatas bravas were discovered after Spain conquered the Inca empire in 1542. Potatoes were not really popular at that time, and they were considered animals´food. People thought potatoes were poisonous but a thirty years war, made them have to eat it.

Does bravas sauce contain tomato? ›

In the authentic brava sauce there is no tomato, no garlic and certainly no aioli. In Madrid this is how they do patatas bravas. The secret to making brava sauce is to use sweet smoked paprika and hot smoked paprika. This is what gives the sauce it´s color plus it´s flavor.

What are french fries called in Spain? ›

In Spain, fried potatoes are called patatas fritas or papas fritas.

What are patatas called in Mexico? ›

The word papa is used in most of the Americas, from Mexico to Argentina, although in some parts of the Andes, the word turma is also used. The word patata is used in Spain.

How do you spell patatas bravas? ›

Make this classic tapas dish part of your cooking repertoire – it's simply potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce.

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