Patatas Bravas is a traditional Spanish side dish or "tapas" that consists of crispy roasted potatoes topped with a smokey tomato sauce. Baked instead of fried, this is so simple to make, but totally delicious too. It's also really cheap to make.
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We love Spanish food for its simplicity, but intense flavours. And that is exactly what you get from this potato dish. Roasted cubes of potato in an incredible smoky, and slightly spicy tomato sauce that it made from ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard.
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What is Patatas Bravas?
Patatas bravas, sometimes known as patatas a la brava or papas bravas, is a traditional Spanish dish, usually served as a tapa in bars. It typically consists of potatoes that have been cut into cubes of about two centimetres, then fried in oil or baked and then served warm with a tomato based sauce.
Why should you try it?
- A must at any tapas dinner party
- A really tasty side dish
- Easy to adapt sauce
- A new way to cook potatoes
Ingredients needed
- Potatoes - Floury potatoes like Maris Piper, King Edward or Desiree work best for this recipe, but you can use any potatoes.
- Oil - Try to use a really good quality olive oil.
- Onion - We used a brown onion, however you could swap it for shallots to give it a sweeter flavour.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is always best, however you could use chopped garlic in a jar to save some time.
- Chopped tomatoes - We used a can of chopped tomatoes and the key to this recipe being the best it possibly can, is using the best quality tomatoes you can. You really will taste the difference, as cheap tinned tomatoes tend to be really watery and that gives a watery sauce.
- Tomato puree (paste) - This helps to thicken up the sauce and give it a more intense tomato flavour.
- Chilli powder - This gives the potatoes a kick of spice. You can leave it out if you would prefer.
- Paprika - This gives the potatoes the smokiness that they are known for.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make patatas bravas - Step by step
One: Put the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 7 minutes and drain.
Two: Add the drained potatoes to a large baking tray with the olive oil, paprika and some salt and pepper and mix well. Roast in the oven at 190°C/350°F/Gas 5 for 35-40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and crispy.
Three: Heat a little oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic and gently cook for 4 minutes.
Four: Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
Five: Put the potatoes into a bowl.
Six: Top with the tomato mixture and garnish with parsley.
Baked or fried potatoes?
You could save yourself some time and fry these potatoes in a pan. However, whenever we can make the swap for baked instead of fried, we do. You will find in Spain that they usually fry the potatoes, however you can still get them just as crispy in the oven, and use less oil.
Brava sauce
Whilst the crispy potatoes are the base of this dish, it really is all about the sauce. It's amazing, but that doesn't mean it is complicated.
Patatas Bravas sauce is actually really simple and made of store cupboard staples. Sautéed onions and garlic is mixed with a can of tomatoes, some tomato puree and then a generous amount of smoked paprika - that's the "secret" ingredient that gives it all the flavour.
You can make the sauce a little bit richer by adding a glug of red wine.
What to serve these with
Patatas Bravas are a must at a tapas themed meal, so we always serve them with our Spanish Rice, Tortilla, Gambas Pil Pil or Chicken Skewers. They also go well with a simple grilled chicken or salmon dish.
Whilst many tapas bars will give you the option of topping this with some chorizo, fried fish or chicken, we kept it simple and just let the tomato sauce be the star of the show. But, for those meat eaters out there I would say a little bit of chorizo goes a long way in this.
You can also finish it off with a drizzle of alioli.
FAQs
You want to use a floury potato for this recipe, as they crisp up nicely in the oven. Something like a Maris Piper, King Edward or Desiree.
You can store the sauce and potatoes separately or together in air tight containers. They will keep in the fridge for up to three days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost fully in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave until piping hot throughout.
Extra tips
• Add a little chopped chorizo to the sauce for some extra smokiness.
• Use a floury potato so the edges get nice and crispy.
• You don't have to par-boil them, just add extra cook time for them in the oven.
• You can add a glug of red wine to give a richer, more indulgent sauce.
• Finish this dish off with a drizzle of alioli.
• You could fry the potatoes to make this recipe quicker.
More potato recipes
If you've tried this patatas bravas recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Patatas Bravas
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Potato - cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil - for the potatoes
- 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil - for the sauce
- 1 Onion - small; diced
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes - canned
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 0.5 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley - to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/350°F/Gas 5.
- Put 500 g Potato into a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 7 minutes and drain.
- Add the drained potatoes to a large baking tray with 2 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper and mix well. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and crispy.
- Heat 0.5 tablespoon Olive oil in a pan and add 1 Onion and 2 Garlic clove and gently cook for 4 minutes.
- Add 400 g Chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoon Tomato puree and 0.5 teaspoon Chilli powder to the pan and stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Put the potatoes into a bowl.
- Top with the tomato mixture and garnish with Fresh parsley.
Recipe Tips
- Add a little chopped chorizo to the sauce for some extra smokiness
- Use a floury potato so the edges get nice and crispy.
- You don't have to par-boil them, just add extra cook time for them in the oven.
- You can add a glug of red wine to give a richer, more indulgent sauce.
- Finish this dish off with a drizzle of alioli.
- You could fry the potatoes to make this recipe quicker.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Gahhh! I loooooove patatas bravas, Dannii!! There was this amazing Tapas place back in FL that I used to love and I would always order their patatas bravas. Yours look just as delicious as theirs, girlfriend! I want to reach through my screen and steal ALL your taters! Must. Make. ASAP! ;) Cheers, girlfriend!
Dannii says
Noooo, don't steal my taters! Just make your own ;)
Rach @ This Italian Family says
Oh yum! I've never tried these before, but they look so delicious!
Dannii says
Definitely give it a try - it has such a lovely smoky flavour.
Mir says
Patatas bravas are my ALL TIME FAVORITE tapas dish! So you can bet I'm on board for these!!
Dannii says
Welcome aboard the crispy potato topped with spicy tomato sauce train! Woop Woop!
Psychic Nest says
I am so willing to try this recipe because I love potatoes and Spanish recipes! Keep it up with the great work!
Zaria
Dannii says
It sounds like the perfect dish for you then!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
The first time I had patatas bravas was in Barcelona too! I adore fried potatoes and anything spicy so they quickly became my favorite kind of tapas. Love that you have lightened them up here & now I can eat them with no guilt (and garlic shrimp). Yay ;)
Dannii says
I miss Barcelona so much. I can't wait to go back soon.
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
This is making me crave Spanish food again! A new restaurant just opened up that serves Spanish food, and patatas bravas are one of my favorite things, but I don't want to be going out all the time, so this recipe is perrrrrect! YUM!
Dannii says
You could just move in there and eat their food all the time :D
nicol says
great recipe! i love patatas bravas and wanted to make it myself. now i can :D
Dannii says
I hope you enjoy the homemade version!
Nicole says
Lovely! Deffo going to try this. Also has the virtue of comprehensible measurements - no cups of flour or sticks of butter (whatever they may be).
Dannii says
I do try to put both measurements to suit everyone :)
Laura Hartley says
Mm I love patatas bravas! Patatas anything to be honest.. Your recipe looks a lot healthier than others I've seen, which I like :)
Dannii says
Patatas EVERYTHING!
Olivia says
I always struggle with inspiration for side dishes, apart from a green salad but that's getting a bit boring.
I will be trying this next week.
Dannii says
I have lots more side dish recipes coming soon, so make sure you are signed up to my mailing list :)
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
These look amazing! I always used to order patatas bravas at La Tasca when we ate there a lot. never made it at home though and you've made it look so easy.
Dannii says
It really is easy to make yourself, and much more authentic.
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
Dannii these look soo good!! Totally loving these flavours!!
Dannii says
Paprika and tomatoes go SO well together.
marcie says
Great tips on getting potatoes nice and crispy, and they really know how to eat in Spain, don't they? This looks delicious, Dannii!
Dannii says
They sure do! And drink :D
[email protected] says
Everytime I thk of dishes w pototas I think of very caloric meals. But not necessarily. This looks very healthy. I would have to add some type of protein to this so it would be a bit more filling.
Dannii says
It depends on how many potatoes you eat I guess. This is just a side dish, so the protein with be with the main :)
Ana De- Jesus says
This is actually one of my favourite potato dishes I love patatas brava's especially with some peppers and chillis.
Dannii says
I like mine with a bit of a kick to it too.