Patatas Bravas 2

 

The sauce I created for this dish is probably the weirdest set of ingredients ever listed together on a blog, but believe me, it really works, I mean, really works. I will probably never be able to recreate the sweet, spicy, tangy and herbal combination again in quite the same way, but the recipe lets you give it a go, if you really wanted to try. The crisp outside and fluffy soft interior of the potatoes is essential to give this dish it's character. Combined with the sauce, it's easy to see why it is the darling of Spanish tapas restaurants all over the World. 

Recipe : Patatas Bravas

15 very small or 6 large potatoes, (or a combination) small left whole and large quartered

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

1/2 tub, (about 1/2 cup) of red pepper dip

1/4 cup red wine

2 tomatoes

2 tbsp sweet chili sauce

2 tbsp basil, finely chopped

(told you it was weird)

Heat the oven to 400oF and place the potatoes in a single layer in a large baking dish. Drizzle over the oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss everything together to coat well. Bake for about 1 hour until crisp, golden and soft inside. (I blitzed mine under the grill (broiler) for a few minutes at the end to really crisp the edges).

For the sauce, bring everything except the basil to a very slow boil over low heat and let simmer together for about 30 minutes until the wine taste has mellowed and sweetened and the tomatoes collapsed into the sauce. Add a little water if it seems a little thick and then add the basil, stirring well. 

Serve the potatoes with the sauce spooned over in bowls.