Patatas Bravas Potatoes with Charred Tomato Aioli Dip
Crisp potato cubes served with a smoky charred tomato bravas sauce and cool garlic aioli. A sauce-led, tapas-style side for ribs that need bold dipping flavour without repeating barbecue glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes peeled or unpeeled, cut into 3cm cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fine sea salt plus extra for boiling
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic granules
For the charred tomato bravas sauce
- 350 g ripe tomatoes halved
- 1 red pepper halved and deseeded
- 1 small onion quartered
- 2 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp tomato purée
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For the garlic aioli
- 120 g mayonnaise
- 1 small garlic clove finely grated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 Pinch of salt
To finish
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley chopped
- ½ tsp extra smoked paprika
- Lemon wedges optional
Instructions
Char the sauce vegetables
- Heat a grill, barbecue or very hot oven. Put the tomatoes, red pepper, onion and unpeeled garlic on a tray. Drizzle with olive oil and cook until the tomatoes slump, the pepper blisters and the onion edges darken. This usually takes 15 to 20 minutes under a hot grill or over indirect barbecue heat.
Blend the bravas sauce
- Squeeze the garlic from its skins. Blend it with the charred tomatoes, pepper, onion, smoked paprika, hot paprika, sherry vinegar, tomato purée, sugar and salt. Taste and adjust with more vinegar or salt. The sauce should be smoky, sharp and lightly hot.
Parboil the potatoes
- Put the potato cubes in a saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes. The edges should soften slightly, but the cubes should still hold together.
Steam dry and season
- Drain the potatoes well and leave them in the colander for 5 minutes. Toss with olive oil, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and garlic granules.
Roast until crisp
- Spread the potatoes on a hot tray in a single layer. Roast at 220°C for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until crisp at the edges and golden all over.
Mix the aioli
- Stir the mayonnaise, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a small bowl. Keep it chilled until serving. If it tastes too strong, add another spoonful of mayonnaise.
Sauce and serve
- Spoon the bravas sauce onto a plate, pile the potatoes over it and drizzle with aioli. Scatter with parsley and a pinch of smoked paprika. Serve extra sauce on the side if you like a proper dunk.
Notes
You can use Maris Piper potatoes if you want fluffier edges, or a waxier potato if you want neater cubes. I tend to use an all-rounder and cut the cubes fairly large, because small dice can turn too crisp outside before the middle goes soft. Leaving the skins on gives a more rugged barbecue feel, while peeled potatoes give a cleaner tapas-style bite.
The tomato sauce needs ripe tomatoes if possible, but decent cherry tomatoes also work. The charring is important because it stops the sauce tasting like plain tinned tomato. Sherry vinegar is my favourite here because it has nutty sharpness, though red wine vinegar will do. For the aioli, I use mayonnaise as the base because this is a barbecue side, not a test of anyone’s emulsion nerves.
Nutrition
Calories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 810mgPotassium: 1050mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2700IUCalcium: 58mgIron: 2.5mg
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