Patatas Bravas
Spain's most-ordered tapa: twice-fried potato cubes drenched in a smoky paprika-tomato sauce.
Overview
Patatas bravas is a classic Spanish tapas dish featuring crispy roasted potatoes smothered in a rich, spiced tomato sauce. While originating in Spain, this dish has become popular across Latin American cuisines. The combination of golden, crispy potatoes with a flavourful paprika and chilli tomato sauce makes for an addictive side dish or appetizer. Traditionally served at room temperature with fresh parsley garnish.
Serves: 10-12 as a side Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (small, chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 227g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- Good pinch chilli powder
- Pinch sugar
- Sea salt to taste
Potatoes
- 900g potatoes (cut into small cubes, approximately 1-1 ½cm)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Garnish
- Fresh parsley (chopped)
Method
Stage 1 - Make the Tomato Sauce
- Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and fry for approximately 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sweet paprika, chilli powder, sugar, and a pinch of sea salt.
- Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes pulpy and thickens.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and chilli powder as needed.
- Set aside to cool slightly, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stage 2 - Prepare & Roast the Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
- Pat the potato cubes dry with kitchen paper (this is essential for crispiness).
- Tip the dried potatoes into a roasting tin.
- Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
- Spread in a single layer.
Stage 3 - Roast Until Golden
- Roast for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally (every 15 minutes or so), until the potatoes are crisp and golden on all sides.
- Check for doneness by piercing a cube with a fork, it should be tender inside with a crispy exterior.
Stage 4 - Assemble & Serve
- Tip the roasted potatoes into serving dishes.
- Spoon the tomato sauce generously over the potatoes.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Potato size: Cut potatoes into uniform small cubes so they cook evenly and develop crispy exteriors.
- Drying potatoes: Pat potatoes completely dry before roasting to ensure maximum crispiness.
- Sauce make-ahead: The tomato sauce can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated; reheat gently before serving or serve at room temperature.
- Roasting technique: Stir the potatoes occasionally during roasting to ensure even browning on all sides.
- Texture contrast: The appeal of patatas bravas is the contrast between crispy potatoes and creamy tomato sauce.
Variations
With mayo: Drizzle with a light garlic or saffron aioli for extra richness Spicier version: Increase chilli powder to 1 tsp and add a pinch of cayenne pepper With alioli sauce: Serve potatoes with traditional Spanish alioli (garlic mayo) instead of or alongside the tomato sauce Loaded version: Top with crumbled chorizo, crispy bacon, or fried onions for extra flavour
Serving
Serve warm or at room temperature as a tapas, appetizer, or side dish. Pairs well with crusty bread, Spanish cured meats, and cold beverages.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated (store sauce and potatoes separately)
- Potatoes can be roasted up to 4 hours ahead; reheat at 160°C for 5 minutes to re-crisp
- Sauce keeps up to 4 days refrigerated
- Does not freeze well (potatoes become soggy)
More like this
Birria
Birria is a Mexican braise of long, patient ambition. Originally a goat or lamb dish from Jalisco, it has long since adopted beef in much of Mexico and almost entirely in the popular taco version. The flavour comes from a layered chile base: guajillo for fruit and colour, ancho for raisin sweetness, pasilla for earthy depth, and a handful of arbol for a sharper heat. These are simmered with onion, garlic, cinnamon and peppercorns, blended smooth with chipotles in adobo and fire-roasted tomato, then poured over seared chuck and short rib for a long oven braise. Three hours later the meat is meltingly tender, sitting in a rust-red consomme that is the whole point: ladled over the shredded beef in a bowl, scattered with raw onion, cilantro and lime, or used to dip crisp taco shells for the now-iconic quesabirria. The recipe takes time but very little technique; almost everything happens unattended in the oven. Plan ahead and make it a day in advance so the flavours settle and the fat lifts cleanly off the top before you reheat.
Huevos Rancheros
Huevos rancheros is a classic Mexican breakfast dish featuring eggs poached in a rich, spiced tomato sauce with peppers and chillies. This rustic, flavourful dish is traditionally served with warm tortillas for scooping, allowing diners to customize their own wraps. The combination of runny egg yolks with the thick, delicious tomato stew creates a truly memorable dish.
Chakalaka
Onion is softened in oil; garlic, ginger and curry powder bloom. Carrots cook briefly to tender-crisp. Peppers (red and green) and chillies join. Tomatoes simmer everything down. Tinned baked beans go in last with a splash of vinegar to balance. Eaten warm or at room temperature; tastes better the next day.
Easy Ugandan Curry Potatoes
Ugandan curry potatoes are one of those everyday dishes that say more about a country's cooking than the showpiece feast plates do. Curry powder reached Uganda via the Indian and Goan communities of the East African coast and the railway-building era, and was quickly absorbed into the local repertoire as a flavour for stews rather than as a separate cuisine. The result here is mild, fragrant and unmistakably Ugandan: small chunks of waxy potato cooked through in a sauce built on onions sweated until soft, fresh tomato simmered down, and a generous spoon of mild yellow curry powder bloomed in the oil. Garlic and ginger run quietly underneath; a single chopped chilli does the heat work if you want it. It is a vegetarian dish in most homes, though it sits happily alongside fried fish or chicken stew on a fuller plate. The difficulty for a home cook is low, it is almost foolproof, but watch the potatoes; the dish is best when they hold their shape and the sauce just hugs them rather than dissolving everything into a mash. Eat with chapati to mop up the gravy, or with steamed rice, posho, or matooke.