Patatas Bravas, roughly translated “brave or wild or savage potatoes” is a seemingly ubiquitous starter in Spain and practically synonymous with tapas. It was the first of many little dishes that we tried (along with refreshing cervezas) at Taberna El Sur– a lovely tapas bar just a short walk from El Prado. While finding straight-up vegan foods in non-vegan restaurants was a bit of a challenge, I found that along with amazing breads (mas pan por favor!), all the places we ventured in Madrid offered delicious versions of potatoes. Patatas bravas was certainly a favorite and I want share with you an authentic plant based version.
Taberna El Sur – cool oasis on a toasty day in Madrid
The Origin of Patatas Bravas
There appears to be much disagreement regarding the origin of this dish, but many credit the Madrid Bar Las Bravas (originally called Vinícola Aurora Barranco) with it’s creation back in the 1930’s. There is no debate, however, regarding the wild popularity of this dish in 1960’s Madrid and it’s current headlining prevalence in tapas menus throughout Spain.
The variations in recipe and ingredients are as seemingly endless as the places in which they are served. In essence, the dish consists of boiled and fried bite sized potatoes topped or tossed with a somewhat spicy sauce. Some Spaniards claim this sauce MUST be tomato-based, while others insist that the Madrileños enjoy a garlic aoili spiced with hot and sweet paprika, sin tomate. There is no doubt, however, that this is a beloved tapas and one I hope you will try.
No-Tomato Bravas
Because I am fairly certain that the first bravas I discovered in Madrid was made without tomato, I have for you here a vegan patatas bravas recipe that closely resembles what my palate remembers. A lot of searching landed me on Maria Garcia’s recipe, found on her beautiful blog, Invitato Invierño.
I tweaked it a bit and, damn if it isn’t pretty pretty close. Please know, I have nothing against tomatoes! I was simply craving that first delectable bite of food in my first tapas bar on my first day in Madrid 🙂 and found a recipe that nails it. The sauce is essentially a roux, spiced with pimentón and garlic. Yes, it has oil! I did not deep fry the potatoes but there was no avoiding the oil in the sauce. Sometimes you just have to pull out the “what’s life worth living” clause.
The Process
For this recipe I used a pound of fingerling potatoes. While boiling them, gather the remaining ingredients. The potatoes will take about 20 minutes or so. When a fork easily pierces through, drain and cool the potatoes and set aside.
Simple ingredients for bravas sauce. This makes over 2 cups- so be sure to freeze the leftovers!
Sauté the minced garlic in the oilve oil on low for a few minutes until slightly tan and very fragrant. Add the flour to the hot oil and whisk carefully until smooth. Now you’re rouxing. Continue to whisk until the mixture is a pale gold-about five minutes. (Interesting fact: the longer you cook the roux, the deeper and more intense the flavor. Yet, the longer you cook the roux, the less thickening power it has). The first time I tried this, I only cooked it for about 3 minutes and found that the sauce was too thick and floury. 5-6 minutes seems about right.
Carefully whisking the flour to make the roux…
It’s gold, Jerry, gold.
Once you have your roux where you want it, add the pimentón, or paprika.
Add the paprika and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Look at that gorgeous color!
Continue to stir as you add the water and your sauce is ready in minutes. Pour the sauce into a bowl or container, cover it and set aside. Cut your now cooked and drained potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Using the same cast iron pan, coat the pan with cooking spray and lightly brown the potatoes over medium heat.
Plate those patatas, spoon on the sauce and dig in!
Buen provecho!
- 1 pound organic fingerling potatoes or new potatoes
- salt
- cooking spray
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup organic flour
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon hot paprika
- 2 1/4 cups water
- salt to taste
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Scrub potatoes. Fill large pot with water and add potatoes.
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Boil for about 15-20 minutes until a fork easily slides through potatoes.
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Drain, set aside.
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While potatoes cook, gather remaining ingredients and prepare the sauce.
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Mince garlic.
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Pour olive oil into large cast iron pan and warm on low heat.
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Saute garlic on low for several minutes until lightly colored and fragrant.
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Add flour and whisk until smooth.
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Cook, whisking continually for 5-6 minutes until golden.
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Add paprikas and whisk until combined
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Add water and keep whisking until uniform
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Cook over low heat to desired consistency.
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Salt to taste.
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Turn off heat, pour into bowl or container and cover.
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Wipe out and reserve pan for potatoes.
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Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces.
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Spray pan lightly with cooking spray.
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Saute potatoes over medium heat to brown them.
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Plate potatoes and drizzle or cover with sauce.
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Sprinkle with a few chopped chives or green onions.
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Enjoy!
This recipe makes a LOT of sauce, probably three to four times what is needed. I kept it as is because the leftover sauce freezes well and will keep for up to four months.
