A Taste of Barcelona - Patatas Bravas

After a wonderful 19 days of traveling with my friend Wendy, including a transatlantic cruise and several wonderful stops in Nova Scotia, Spain, Portugal, and the U.K., I came home with plenty of photographs, great memories and, naturally, a few dishes I couldn’t wait to recreate in my own kitchen, especially their amazing comfort food and mine - potatoes. And Spain certainly knows what to do with potatoes.

During our time in Barcelona, Wendy and I did our share of exploring, shopping, sightseeing and, of course, eating. One of my favorite discoveries was patatas bravas, a staple of Spanish tapas menus.

Tapas are small plates meant to be shared, which is my kind of dining. Rather than committing to one entrée, you can order several dishes, sample a little of everything and linger over a glass of wine or cava. It’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon, especially when there’s nowhere in particular you need to be.

Patatas bravas translates roughly to “brave potatoes,” a reference to the spicy sauce that accompanies them. The dish itself couldn’t be simpler: chunks of golden, crispy potatoes topped with a smoky, slightly spicy red sauce. Depending on where you are in Spain, you might also find a generous drizzle of creamy garlic alioli.

The version we enjoyed in Barcelona had both sauces, although the red sauce was creamier and more orange than some of the traditional recipes I’ve seen. It was delicious, and I knew immediately that I’d be trying to duplicate it when I got home.

The trick to getting those potatoes right is frying them twice. The first frying cooks the interior, while the second, at a higher temperature, creates that lovely golden exterior. You can certainly roast them if you prefer, but for this recipe, I’m going with the real thing.

As for the sauce, I’ve adjusted a traditional paprika-based salsa brava with a little garlic alioli to reproduce the creamier version Wendy and I enjoyed in Barcelona.

It’s a little taste of Spain, and one of those recipes that proves you don’t need expensive ingredients to make something memorable.

INGREDIENTS

For the potatoes:

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

Olive oil (or duck fat!) for frying

Sea salt

For the salsa brava:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika

½ teaspoon hot Spanish paprika, or more to taste

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Salt to taste

For the garlic alioli:

½ cup good-quality mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

METHOD

Peel the potatoes and cut them into irregular chunks, approximately 1½ inches. Place in a pot of generously salted water and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, just until the outsides begin to soften. Drain thoroughly and allow them to steam-dry for about 10 minutes.

Gently shake the potatoes in the colander to roughen their surfaces. Those little irregular edges will become especially crispy when fried.

Heat several inches of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 325°F. Fry the potatoes in batches for approximately 5 minutes, without allowing them to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

Increase the oil temperature to 375°F. Return the potatoes to the oil in batches and fry for another 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Drain and sprinkle immediately with sea salt.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for approximately 30 seconds, just until fragrant.

Remove the pan briefly from the heat and stir in both types of smoked paprika. Return to low heat, add the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.

Gradually whisk in the stock until smooth. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Stir in the sherry vinegar and season with salt. For a particularly smooth sauce, transfer to a blender and process until silky.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Here’s where I’m departing slightly from the traditional recipe.

For the creamy, orange-red sauce we enjoyed in Barcelona, whisk 1 tablespoon of prepared alioli into ½ cup of warm salsa brava. The sauce should be warm rather than hot when adding the alioli, which helps keep everything smooth.

Arrange the hot, crispy potatoes in a shallow serving dish. Spoon the creamy salsa brava generously over the top and finish with a few dollops of the remaining garlic alioli.

Serve immediately, preferably with some crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce.

Wendy and I tasted a lot of wonderful things during our travels, but this simple potato dish is one I’ll be making again and again.

Sometimes the best souvenirs aren’t the things you pack in your suitcase. They’re the recipes you bring home. Of course, there’s the beautiful coat, earrings, handbag, sweater and scarf that somehow ended up in my suitcase...

• 

• 

•