Patatas Bravas: The Tapa You Will Make on Repeat

Every tapas bar in Spain has patatas bravas on the menu. Most are good. A few are transcendent. The difference is almost always the sauce.

The potatoes are straightforward. The sauce is where the work is.

The potatoes

Waxy potatoes hold their shape better than floury ones. Cut them into rough cubes — about two centimeters — and parboil in salted water until just tender but not falling apart. Drain, spread on a tray, and let them steam dry for ten minutes.

This step matters. Wet potatoes splatter when they hit hot oil and never get fully crispy. Dry potatoes fry clean.

Fry in batches in olive oil at around 175°C until deep golden on all sides. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer to a rack, not paper towels — the rack keeps the bottom from steaming.

Brava sauce

This is a smoky tomato sauce with real heat. Sweat a small onion and two garlic cloves in olive oil until soft. Add a tablespoon of smoked paprika — pimentón de la Vera if you can find it — and half a teaspoon of cayenne. Toast the spices for thirty seconds. Add a tin of crushed tomatoes, a small splash of sherry vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Simmer for fifteen minutes until the sauce is thick and deeply colored. Blend until smooth.

Taste it. It should be smoky, tangy, and spicy enough to earn the name.

Aioli

One garlic clove, grated fine. One egg yolk. A teaspoon of lemon juice. Whisk together, then slowly add neutral oil — and then olive oil — drop by drop at first, then in a thin stream, whisking constantly until you have a thick emulsion. Season with salt.

This takes five minutes and is worth doing from scratch.

Assembly

Pile the hot potatoes on a plate. Spoon brava sauce generously over the top. Drizzle aioli in the gaps. Serve immediately while the potatoes are still hot and the sauces are at room temperature.

This is a tapa, which means it belongs alongside other small plates and a cold glass of something. The only wrong way to eat it is alone.