Patatas Bravas

Waxy, tender fingerling potatoes roasted until golden and crispy, served alongside a slightly sweet, tart, and spicy tomato based sauce...it may not be 100% authentic, but this roasted Patatas Bravas recipe was delicious, and made a great addition to our first Tapas Sunday spread!

Patatas Bravas are a very traditional Spanish tapas. The more authentic recipe fries the potatoes instead of roasts them, and serves them in the sauce instead of on the side. I chose to roast the potatoes to save on the calories (and the mess!), and left the sauce separate so the potatoes would remain crispy. The sauce was so good I ended up toasting up some baguette slices so we could scoop up the leftovers. Muy Bien!

Roasted Patatas Bravas

For the potatoes:
1 lb fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, dried, and sliced in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

For the sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small-diced yellow onion
2 tsp olive oil
1 T flour

1 can tomato puree
1 can vegetable stock
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 T red wine
1 T white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss sliced fingerling potatoes with 1 T olive oil, 1/2 tsp paprika, and some salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking dish and cook for 30 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 425° and cook until golden brown and crispy on bottom.

While the potatoes are cooking:
In a medium sauce pan, saute 2 tsp olive oil, onions, and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Take care not to brown the garlic.

Add 1 T flour and stir to coat. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve potatoes alongside the bravas sauce. Yum!