Name: Patatas Bravas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 450 g Potato, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes; 4 tbsp Olive Oil, for shallow frying and sauce; 60 g Onion, finely chopped; 2 clove Garlic, finely chopped; 120 ml Tomato Puree; 1 tsp Smoked Paprika; ½ tsp Paprika; ½ tsp Chilli Flakes; 1 tbsp Sherry Vinegar; ¾ tsp Salt; ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns, freshly crushed; 1 tbsp Parsley, chopped, for finishing

45 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Parboil the potato cubes until just tender at the edges, then drain and let the surface steam-dry.
Heat part of the measured olive oil in a pan and shallow-fry the potatoes until crisp and golden on the outside. Keep them warm.
In the same pan, cook the onion and garlic in the remaining measured olive oil until softened but not burnt.
Add the tomato puree, smoked paprika, paprika, chilli flakes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer until the sauce thickens and looks glossy.
Stir in the sherry vinegar, then taste for balance. Spoon the warm bravas sauce over the crisp potatoes and finish with parsley.

How to tell it's done

The potatoes should be crisp outside and fluffy inside, with a thick sauce that clings rather than pools.

Getting it right

Tip

Steam-drying the potatoes before frying helps the surface crisp without needing deep frying.

What to serve it with

Serve immediately as a tapa or snack while the potatoes are still crisp.

Common mistakes

The potatoes are soft rather than crisp.: Let them steam-dry properly after parboiling — five minutes in the colander, until the surface looks matt. Wet potato put into oil steams itself and never forms a crust.
The sauce tastes harsh and raw.: Cook the paprika in the oil with the onion for a moment before the tomato goes in, and give the finished sauce time to reduce. Paprika stirred into liquid stays dusty.

Substitutions

Use Vinegar if Sherry Vinegar is unavailable, but the sauce will lose some Spanish character.
Use Paprika in place of Smoked Paprika only if needed; the sauce will be less smoky.
For less heat, reduce Chilli Flakes while keeping the paprika base.

Storing and reheating

The sauce keeps five days in the fridge and freezes for three months. The potatoes do not keep — fry them fresh. If you must reheat them, a hot oven is the only thing that gets any crispness back.

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Ingredients