Patatas Bravas

The last hurrah for the Vegetarian Spanish Tapas - Patatas Bravas. A very traditional and simple little tapa with crunchy fried potatoes smothered in a creamy tomato sauce. It's a bit high on the calories, fat and carbohydrates contents. You could minimize that by baking the potatoes using less oil, using a plant-based oil mayo and giving yourself just a small potato (my serving was about 1 cup of diced potatoes).

Michael and I were introduced to this dish in NYC at a tapas restaurant in our neighborhood called 1492. They actually served it with three sauces and many restaurants in Spain do serve these patatas with multiple dips, but I just did the traditional tomato. Other sauces may include a garlic aioli or sweet barbeque. Salud!

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Patatas Bravas
Adapted from a recipe in The Best 100 Tapas

Servings: 3

Time: 10 minutes active; 40 minutes total

Price: ~$7.50 total; ~$2.50 per serving

Nutrition (per serving):

Calories: 441.2

Protein: 7.5g

Fat: 25.9g

Saturated Fat: 3.1g

Carbohydrate: 51.7g

Fiber: 6.6g

Sodium: 314.7mg

Cholesterol: 8.1mg

3 Tbsp EVOO, divided

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground paprika

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

14.5 oz canned tomatoes, diced or pureed depending on how smooth you like your sauce

1 tsp red wine vinegar, not balsamic

3 large potatoes, cleaned leaving the skin on and diced coarsely

3 Tbsp mayo, I used Light Canola Oil Mayo

1. Add 1 Tbsp EVOO to a small pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the cayenne, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, salt and sugar and incorporate. Saute another 5 minutes until the onions become soft.

2. Add the canned tomatoes and vinegar and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes while you make the potatoes.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp EVOO in a skillet that will crowd the potatoes slightly over medium heat. Add the potatoes and stir and saute for up to 15 minutes until soft on the inside and crunchy and brown on the outside.

4. After 20 minutes go back to the sauce and add the mayo. Taste and adjust seasonings. If too vinegary, add a tad more sugar and/or mayo. For more spice, add a bit more cayenne and cumin.

5. Plate the potatoes and serve the sauce on the side or smother them with it! I prefer the latter...