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A plate of patatas bravas - crispy cubes of roast potatoes topped with spicy tomato brava sauce and roast garlic aioli.

Patatas Bravas Recipe

Robyn
This easy recipe for patata bravas combines crispy golden roast potatoes with a spicy brava sauce and roasted garlic aioli to create the most delicious Spanish tapas recipe!
4.93 from 13 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course brunch, main dish, starter
Cuisine spanish
Servings 4 people
Calories 148 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 medium to large saucepan with lid
  • 1 baking tray

Ingredients
  

Crispy oven roasted potatoes

  • 500g (1.1 lb) potatoes – keep skins on. Cut into 2 cm cubes (12-18 cubes per potato)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic unpeeled

Brava Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 400g (14oz) tin/can tomatoes whole plum, or diced
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon mild smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Garlic Aioli

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ tablespoon lemon juice
  • black pepper
  • pinch salt to taste

Instructions
 

Cook the potatoes:

  • Preheat oven to 108℃ fan / 200˚C/ 400˚F
  • Boil potatoes – place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt, then bring to the boil and boil for 10 mins, until the potatoes are just tender.
  • Drain, then put the lid back on the saucepan and give a little shake to rough up edges of the potatoes.
  • Tip out into the roasting tin, add the unpeeled garlic cloves and fresh rosemary and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and black pepper.
  • Roast for 15 minutes, then stir the potatoes and check the garlic cloves – they should be soft - and remove them to a plate and set aside.
  • Return the potatoes to the oven for another 30-40 minutes, until they are golden all over.

Make the brava sauce:

  • Fry the onion in olive oil over a low/medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft.
  • Add the crushed raw garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute before adding the mild and hot smoked paprika, and ground cumin. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
  • Tip in the tomatoes with the water, sherry vinegar, and salt. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until thick – when you drag a spoon across the pan the juices don’t instantly fill the gap it left.
  • Check for salt, adding a little more if needed. Either leave the sauce chunky, or use a stick blender to blend until smooth.

Make the roasted garlic aioli:

  • In a bowl mix the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt together, squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skin and beat into the yogurt mixture with the lemon juice, black pepper and salt to taste. Put to one side until ready to serve.

Assemble

  • As soon as potatoes are ready, spoon them into heatproof dish and pour over the tomato sauce. I like to leave the garlic aioli on the side for people to add/dip into as they wish, but you could drizzle it over the top if you prefer.

Notes

Potatoes – in Australia I recommend using Dutch cream, Sebago or Desiree, in the UK King Edward or Maris Piper, and in the US Yukon Gold, for the crispiest roast potatoes.
Olive oil – I use a regular olive oil to roast the potatoes in.
Rosemary – a couple of sprigs of rosemary add a lovely flavour to the roast potatoes, you can substitute with ¼ – ½ teaspoon dried rosemary if you prefer.
Smoked paprika – I use a combination of mild smoked paprika and hot smoked paprika to get that delicious smoky flavour with a hint of spice. If you can’t find hot smoked paprika, substitute with a pinch of cayenne or chilli flakes.
Ground cumin – this earthy spice adds a lovely background flavour to the brava sauce.
Sherry vinegar – made from sherry, this Spanish vinegar is added to the sauce to give it a tangy flavour.
Mayonnaise – I recommend using a good quality egg mayonnaise.
Yogurt – mixing plain Greek yogurt with mayo lightens up the aioli, and gives the sauce a slight sharpness, which I love.
Tips
  • Salt the potato water – this seasons the potatoes from the inside out.
  • You can peel the potatoes or leave the skins on – roasting the potatoes in their skins not only reduces food waste, but they go super crispy and delicious!
  • Sauce texture – you can keep the sauce slightly chunky, or blend with a stick blender until smooth.
  • Brava sauce – when you taste the brava sauce on its own, it can taste a little tangy from the vinegar, however when combined with the roasted potatoes and rich, creamy aioli, it works so well and balances out!

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 497mgPotassium: 260mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 127IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 1mg
Keyword crispy potatoes, patatas bravas, spanish tapas dish

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