New Patatas Bravas

This is sooo easy to make, and always really gratifying to eat... Spanish Patatas Bravas is a strangely comforting yet cosmopolitan dish, and it goes especially well with a big glass of red wine (oh, and grilled white fish or chicken blah blah). Like all the food I strive to cook now, this recipe tastes brilliantly decadent and delicious despite being reassuringly healthy and almost predictably low in cholesterol and saturated fat (possibly like other Spanish recipes, or at least the ones without Chorizo??!!!). Healthy Spanish eating aside, this is a particularly good recipe if you need to feed tasty food to lots of people without too much faff.

Ingredients

  • New Potatoes 
  • Garlic Cloves for roasting (optional)
  • 4 Cloves Garlic for Bravas Sauce
  • 1 Tin Tomatoes
  • 1 Red Peppers (or leftover Piedmont Peppers)
  • Sprig Thyme and/or Rosemary
  • Bay Leaf

Pre-heat the oven to 180˚c

If you have left over Piedmont Peppers, brilliant – if not, roast a Red Pepper for 30 – 40 mins or until charred.  Let it cool down and peel any burnt bits of skin off!

Scrub the New Potatoes, sprinkle with Salt and Olive Oil (just a little) and roast at 180˚c for 30 – 40 mins or until crunchy and golden on the outside (more crunchy than usual so they have some texture!).  If you’re using large potatoes – chop them into small chunks before roasting.  Halfway through roasting the Potatoes – add a few whole cloves Garlic (as pictured)

Meanwhile make the Bravas Sauce… finely chop a few cloves of Garlic.  Heat a pan, add a little Olive Oil and when hot, add the Garlic

Don’t let it burn – but cook it for a few seconds – when it starts to brown – quickly add the Tin of Tomatoes and another tinful of water. Add a little Salt, a crunch of Black Pepper and the herbs

Simmer down until the sauce is thicker and rich tasting (reduced down in size by half maybe more)

When done – let it cool slightly before putting it in a food processor (remove the herbs first – especially the Bay Leaf) with the roasted or Piedmont Pepper

Whizz the Bravas Sauce up to a puree and then re-heat before serving with the Roasted Potatoes and some homemade Mayonnaise.  If you’d like to cheat with the Mayo – 0% Greek Yoghurt is really good too, if less Spanish…

Great with a massive green salad…

Tagged , , ,