Patatas Bravas Recipe
When I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, I was fortunate to take a tapas cooking class. Tapas are small plates, which are cultural food tradition in the city. My favorite tapas recipe was Patatas Bravas, a simple roasted potatoes dish topped with a spicy cream sauce. After learning this recipe, this dish was something I could not get enough of. I would go with the friends I made on my program and explore different restaurants to get Patatas Bravas.
After I returned home from my program, I wanted to try to make the recipe but I never found the time. Also, with having minimal cooking skills, I was worried about not doing the recipe justice. But with quarantine and working at the Study Abroad Office in a virtual setting, I decided it was time to give cooking this recipe a try.
I found a recipe online by Bobby Flay on Food Network. The recipe required many steps and ingredients, but I knew it was going to take a lot to make this dish like the one in Barcelona. The first step is to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and to put a baking sheet in the oven. I did not have a baking sheet, so I used a tinfoil sheet instead and put that on a tray inside the oven.
Next, heat your stove to a medium temperature and place a saucepan overtop with a tablespoon of oil. In this step, I added onion, garlic, and cooked until five minutes or until they softened. I then added paprika and had that simmer for about 30 seconds.
In a food processor, I then added the onion mixture, mayonnaise, tomato (roasted), hot pepper sauce, and cooking sherry. It is important to allow these ingredients to smooth and then add salt and pepper. After you finish mixing these ingredients, place into a bowl and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In the final step, I added 2 inches of oil to a pan and heated the sliced potatoes until golden brown. I then drained the oil out of the potatoes and placed them in the oven until they crisped. After the potatoes were finished, I added the sauce and I had a delicious Patatas Bravas dish!