PATATAS BRAVAS.- A Spanish staple that is sure to please!....

PATATAS BRAVAS.- A simple, basic potato preparation you find all over Spain, done in a myriad of ways and are all good.

The basic principle is cut potatoes into wedges or thick slices and can be fried in oil or roasted in the oven until well golden. In the meantime a sauce is prepared of either tomato paste and hot sauce or just lard with saffron. Commonly knows as "poor people potatoes" due to the simple preparation, economical and accepted by all. One of the most iconic and basic of all Spanish recipes.

This preparation is by no means the only one, it's very flexible and allows for many variations, so depending on what your pantry holds, you're sure to have one version at least.

To make them you will need:

2 lbs or 1 K potatoes, waxy ones like Yukon Gold, peeled or unpeeled
Olive Oil
Salt
1/2 Onion, medium, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, chopped, peeled
1/2 Cup White Wine or Stock
2 Tbls Tomato Paste
6-8 Tomatoes, Roma (or 14 oz canned tomatoes), chopped, crushed
2 - 4 Tbls Hot Sauce, can be Sriracha, Tabasco, or your choice
1 - 3 tsp Smoked Paprika (Pimenton), ground
1 -2 tsp Salt
1 - 3 tsp Sugar

Toss potatoes in 3 Tbls Olive Oil, lay in roasting pan, salt well in 375 F oven. Make sure only one layer of potatoes. Roast 50 minutes until well browned and golden. You can also fry them in oil on the stove.

While the potatoes are in the oven, in a fry pan place the onions with 2 Tbls oil and stir every now and then until edges begin to get browned, about 5 minutes or so. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes over medium-high heat.

Add the wine to the pan and turn the heat to high. Allow liquid to reduce by half, then add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the crushed tomatoes then the hot sauce, Paprika, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook until the potatoes are done. You can blend the sauce if you like a smoother sauce or leave as is.

Once the potatoes are done, place them in the sauce and return to the roasting pan, place in the oven and allow the sauce to dry a little and the potatoes caramelize. 10 minutes or more, keep an eye on them.

You can also serve this with an aioli if you like. Enjoy!