Spice it up with Spanish patatas bravas

Savoury and spicy flavours combine in this classic Spanish tapas dish. Patatas bravas consists of crispy cubes of potato topped with a flavourful tomato sauce. Sounds appealing, no? Great as a light meal or part of a delicious spread of appetisers and just the kind of recipe to have up your sleeve when family and friends arrive at your door.

Ingredients

Prep time: 40 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves: 6

1kg potatoes, chopped into cubes
Canola oil
2 Tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1kg fresh tomatoes, chopped into dice
1 small can (70g) tomato puree
Big pinch sugar
Pecorino cheese, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss the potatoes in the canola oil and season really well with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven to roast for about 1 hour until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through.
2. Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the spices.
3. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for about 15–20 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and the sauce has thickened.
4. Place the potatoes on a serving dish, cover with tomato sauce and serve with shavings of pecorino cheese.

Can’t find pecorino cheese? Then try using any other sheeps milk variety or a mild gruyere.

Still wondering why they’re called patatas bravas? Apparently there’s a tapas chain in Madrid, Las Bravas, that makes a mean rendition of this dish. But we think the bravery of a potato dish boils down to how spicy the spud is. What do you reckon?