How to Make Patatas Bravas by Chef José Andrés
Many of us are seeking some delicious comfort foods to make at home. Here, we present you with two things that bring us comfort AND joy: potatoes and Chef José Andrés. Potatoes are just delicious no matter how you make them. And Chef Andrés is one of the most passionate, compassionate, and vocal advocates for those in need around the world. Take a look at some of what he does through his organization, World Central Kitchen. Since we’re self-isolating, it’s the perfect time to recreate culinary favorites at home. Here’s writer Irvina Lew’s take on how to make patatas bravas and the professional technique a la Jose Andres.
Photo courtesy JoseAndres.com and thinkfoodgroup.com
Thoughts on Patatas Bravas
I often think about the foods I enjoy while I’m traveling and, as a home cook, I occasionally experiment with dishes that I consider easy-to-adapt, if not to replicate, exactly. One definite favorite has been high on my list since my recent trip to Madrid and Barcelona, this past February, 2020. Patatas bravas, (or papas bravas) are a tapas serving of crisp, bite-sized, fried potato cubes–or rounds—topped with a splash of spicy tomato sauce and usually also presented with aioli, a garlicky, lemon-touched mayonnaise.
Tapas are finger-food appetizers served in typical Spanish bars; they’re often the raison d’être of a civilized social activity called tapeando, which is an early evening bar-hopping tradition that precedes a very late dinner. Sometimes, an extensive tapeando offers enough culinary variety to replace a meal: crusty croquetas, chicken or ham béchamel-filled fritters, olivas, grilled gambas al ajillo (garlicky shrimp), tortilla squares, (in Spain the dish is an egg and potato frittata) and jamón ibérica pata negra, (aka jamón ibérica de bellota), which are prosciutto-thin-like slices of the best cured ham in Spain, sourced from free-range, black-hoofed, acorn-fed pigs.
Like so many other typical staples, patatas bravas differ somewhat from place to place and can range from a simple platter in an ancient café on a narrow, cobblestone street to exquisite and delicate variations served in fine dining rooms. I still recall a meal at Jardín de Orfila, in Hotel Orfila, a family owned, 32-room Relais & Chateaux property where I stayed in 2010. It’s housed in an art and antique studded mansion dating from 1882 in Chamberi, Madrid. Here, each of the individually-decorated, creatively prepared potato squares arrived like rooks and pawns on a chess board and were as tasty as they were appealing. In 2017, just hours after landing in Madrid, my granddaughter Sage and I had our first lunch at Hermosos y Malditos, in the Hotel Totem, in the Salamanca district. I had no idea what Spanish food would or wouldn’t please a 17-year old New Yorker, so I ordered what the menu called: Nuestra Version de las Patatas Bravas. What made their version different was that they served it with a yogurt sauce and a tomato with chili sauce.
Hermosos y Malditos lunch at Hotel Totem in Madrid, Feb. 2017, called Nuestra Version de las Patatas Bravas.
The Spanish-born chef, José Andrés, who worked with Ferrán Adria at El Bulli, outside Barcelona, and mentored Katie Button, (Curate, Asheville, N.C.), serves the traditional tapas, as appetizer choices. Because I am an ardent fan of Chef Andrés, for both his culinary achievements and his extraordinary philanthropic deeds, I look for the dish on his menus at Jaleo in Washington, D.C. and The Bazaar by José Andrés, which are each located inside the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills and in South Beach. At Bazaar, the on-line menu features Papas Canarias, described as salty wrinkled potatoes with mojo verde and mojo rojo. Though I’m not sure about these green and red sauces, I’m confident if they’re his, they’re good. Bravas, in his Mercado Little Spain, in Hudson Yards, in Manhattan, specializes in patatas bravas. Here the potatoes (aka papas) in the classic tapas dish are cut into cubes, fried, and topped with a spicy tomato sauce.
The superstar chef also published a uniquely urbane way of making patatas bravas, in which two-inch cubes are large enough to dig out a circular hole, in which to serve the sauces. I enclose the recipe for those of you willing to make the effort and do the extra work. (I for one wouldn’t bother to spend that much time and energy; I’m certain it’s delicious either way.)
Patatas Bravas enjoyed at Chef’s restaurant JALEO in Washington, DC.
How I Make Patatas Bravas at Home
My preferred cooking method is a whole lot less complicated. I one-inch cube a large baking potato, add salt and pimentón (because I bought a jar of the regional red pepper when I visited the Basque country), toss the cubes in a little extra virgin olive oil; separate the pieces on a flat sheet, bake them in my toaster oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. They crisp, puff and are delicious.
For sauce, I use whatever is on hand or easy to fix: aioli made by adding crushed garlic to lemon juice; just before the potatoes are done, I add the liquid (only) to thin some Hellman’s mayonnaise; for the spicy red sauce, I add Tabasco to cocktail sauce (or salsa). Last night, I dipped them in a salsa verde, which was actually a defrosted parsley/cilantro/garlic and olive oil chimichurri. Fry or bake the potatoes, play with the sauces to suit your taste, or follow this Jose Andres’ recipe, which I am sure will be far more delicious. Trust me, wherever they are served or however you choose to make them, these delights far surpass the edible pleasure of freshly-made McDonald’s French fries with ketchup.
Patatas Bravas from Jardin de Orfila lined up on a chess board.
— Story and photos (except where noted) by Irvina Lew
Patatas Bravas “New Way”
By Chef José Andrés
Serves 4
For the brava sauce:
1½ cups Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Idaho potatoes, (about 3 large potatoes) peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
½ tsp pimentón (Spanish sweet paprika)
To make the brava sauce, slice the tomatoes in half. Place a grater over a bowl and rub the open side of the tomato over the grater until all the flesh is grated. Discard the skins. Strain the grated flesh through a sieve to produce 1½ cups of tomato puree.
Pour the 2 TBS of olive oil into a small sauté pan and warm over low heat. Add the tomato puree, sugar, bay leaf, pimentón, and cayenne. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the mixture reduces by ¼ and becomes a deep red color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the vinegar, season to taste with salt and set aside.
To make the alioli (also referred to as allioli), mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar and pestle until you have a smooth paste. Mix in the lemon juice and then add the olive oil, drop by drop, as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle. Keep turning your pestle with a slow, continuous circular motion around the mortar. The dripping needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go. Keep adding the oil drop by drop until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your alioli gets too dense, add a little water, about ½ tsp, to thin it out. This effort takes time, around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar, to create a dense, rich sauce. Set aioli aside.
For the potatoes, line up the potato squares and using a small melon-baller, scoop out a small cup on the top of each potato square. Pour the olive oil into a deep saucepan and heat over medium-low heat to 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. Working in batches to not crowd the pan, gently place the potatoes in the oil and poach them, frying slowly until soft, about 15 minutes. The potatoes should not change color but will soften all the way through. Test for softness using a toothpick. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Allow the oil to return to 250 degrees before frying next batch.
Raise the temperature of the olive oil to 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. Working again in batches, return the potatoes to the pan and fry until crispy and brown, about 2 minutes. Be sure to allow the oil to return to 350 degrees before frying next batch. Set potatoes aside to drain and season to taste with salt.
To serve, place the potato squares on a platter with the cup side up. Spoon brava sauce into each hole, add a dab of alioli and sprinkle with pimenton.
Brava sauce and aioli can be kept in refrigerator, tightly covered, for two days.
Now that you’ve learned how to make Patatas Bravas, shop for a few of the items you’ll need on Etsy, one of our affiliate partners: pimentón, Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, small melon baller, mortar and pestle.
Hungry for more? Irvina recalled having Chef’s Patatas Bravas in Miami in this article. This article about Spain and its annual Saffron Festival may inspire you. And here’s a comforting recipe for sweet potatoes using Middle Eastern seasonings.
