Making Patatas Bravas

Recipes From Spain

As it turns out Spaniards eat may just about as much mayo as Americans.  I had a Spanish roommate in graduate school (Hi Ana) who would make mayo-inclusive dishes that both mildly disgusted me (Russian Salad) and have me begging for more (her fried potatoes with Aioli).  However, it was on a trip to Spain with Ana that I found my all time favorite saucy Spanish dish Patatas Bravas (roughly translated to potatoes with bravado) or roasted potatoes with a creamy spicy sauce.  I decided to make some at home recently on one of my stateside stints.  It took a lot of online research and a few attempts to get the sauce to taste what I remembered in Spain, spicy, savory, and creamy.  Here's what I wound up with:

The final product of my Patatas Bravas cooking experiment.  Yum!

Ingredients

6 Yukon gold potatoes cubed

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mayo

1/3 tablespoon red hot sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1-3 teaspoons water

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and toss cubed potatoes with olive oil in an oven safe pan. Sprinkle potatoes with some salt and pepper, and toss again.  Bake potatoes in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.  Toss potatoes half way through baking to ensure even cooking.  

Meanwhile prepare the sauce.  Mix mayo, hot sauce, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and ketchup.  After mixing test the consistency.  The sauce should be just thin enough to drizzle over the potatoes but not so thin they are runny.  If the sauce is too thick add a teaspoon of water and stir.  Keep adding water until you get your desired consistency.  

Take potatoes out of the oven, serve on a dish, and drizzle with the bravas sauce.  Enjoy this super smokey and sassy sauce adding more hot sauce in future versions if you like it spicier.