Spanish Potatoes.....the Cassie way.

Hi there!

There seems to be SO many different recipes out there for Patatas Bravas (rough translation is Rough Potatoes) - the classic Spanish Tapa, simply made by deep frying some Potatoes & making a lovely yummy tomato sauce to toss them into at the end.

I have made this recipe so many times, that there aren't any real measurements - I usually just go by feel, depending on how many people I need to feed. In my opinion Tapas should be good, basic food - none of this fancy hoo haa that everyone seems to be doing these days. Most restaurants seem to think they can make one of their main meals, shrink it down, put it on a small dish and call it a Tapa - which is plain wrong. Here's my recipe for Patatas Bravas - I hope that you enjoy eating these as much as me and my friends do - they really are so good and go down unbelievably well with a cold beer on a hot day (or red wine in the Winter!)

Potatoes. Maybe allow for 1 and a half big potatoes per person

Sea Salt

A good whole egg mayonnaise (like Hellmans)

Tomato Ketchup (for me it must be Heinz organic)

Fresh Thyme - removed from stems & chopped finely

A good spanish pimenton (Paprika. Not the sweet Hungarian kind, the Spanish kind)

Minced Onion (around a tablespoon full)

Minced Garlic (around a 2 cloves crushed)

Tabasco Sauce

Olive Oil for frying

Fresh Parsley

Step 1 - Making the sauce

• In a small frying pan, heat a small glug of oil and gently fry (but not burn) the onion & garlic until soft.
• Turn off the heat and add the paprika - around 2 tablespoons worth, a few good slurps of Tabasco (around 1/2 teaspoon I guess), and the Thyme. Stir well to combine - it should now have a bit of a paste consistency
• Transfer to a bowl & add the Ketchup (around a half cup) and the Mayonnaise (a half cup again)
• Stir everything to combine & taste. If you think it needs it, add salt, pepper & more tabasco.
• Set aside & make a start on the potatoes.

Step 2

• Peel, and roughly chop your potatoes in to small bite size pieces (not too neat though- remember, they're meant to be rough!).
• In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan or cast iron dish heat around 2 cups of olive oil until ready to fry in - there just needs to be enough oil to submerge your potatoes in.
• Cook the potatoes in batches, taking care not to spatter yourself with hot oil - ouch!.
• Drain the potatoes on kitchen towel & sprinkle with sea salt....now this is the REALLY important part so take notice.....
• Immediately toss the hot potatoes in a few good tablespoons of the brava sauce and serve to your guests straight away, remembering to give everyone toothpicks and napkins.
• Keep frying batches of potatoes until you've used them all up.

If you have any sauce leftover, never fear! it's really nice with Spanish Meatballs (Albondiga) or really, any other kind of meat - it's a seriously yummy sauce in itself.

I love Spanish food, so in the coming weeks I'll be posting some of my favourite recipes, including Albondigas and Mushrooms cooked in sherry (I might even try to get Steve's Tortilla Recipe up.....which is another real crowd pleaser).

Anyhow - I hope that you try this recipe. It's not overly healthy, but I tell you - it is a real crowd pleaser that will have everyone coming back for more time and time again. If you do, I'd love your feedback!

Hasta Luego!

Cass

xxx