Patatas Bravas Madrilenas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep, heavy frying pan or wide pot
• •Kitchen thermometer
• •Spider skimmer or slotted spoon
• •Small saucepan
• •Blender or hand blender

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut and dry

   Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough 3cm cubes, not neat little dice. Rinse them in cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain and dry them very well in a towel. Wet potatoes spit in hot oil and soften instead of crisping, so take the drying seriously.

   Rough edges are good here. They catch the oil, crisp better, and hold the brava sauce instead of letting it slide off.
2. 2

   Start the sauce

   Warm the 45ml olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the grated onion and a pinch of the sauce salt, then cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until it is dark gold, soft, and almost jammy. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. This slow base gives the sauce sweetness without making it taste of tomato.

3. 3

   Bloom the pimenton

   Pull the pan off the heat. Stir in the sweet pimenton, hot pimenton, and cayenne if you're using it, and let them bloom in the oil for 20 seconds only. Put the pan back on low heat, sprinkle in the flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the flour smells nutty and no longer raw. Do not let the pimenton scorch; bitter sauce is not brave, just spoiled.

4. 4

   Simmer smooth

   Whisk in the hot stock little by little at first, then add the rest. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon but still pours. Add the sherry vinegar and the remaining sauce salt. Blend smooth if you want the Madrid bar texture, then keep it warm on the lowest heat.

5. 5

   First fry

   Heat the frying oil in a deep, heavy pan to 150C. Fry the potatoes in batches, without crowding, for 6 to 8 minutes, until they are cooked through and pale, with only the faintest color. Lift them out with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a rack or paper. Let them rest at least 10 minutes while the oil climbs hotter.

6. 6

   Second fry

   Raise the oil to 180C. Fry the potatoes again in batches for 2 to 4 minutes, until the edges are crisp and deep golden. Drain well and salt immediately with the 10g fine salt, tossing while the potatoes are still glossy from the oil.

7. 7

   Sauce and serve

   Pile the potatoes onto a warm plate and spoon the brava sauce over them in thick streaks, enough to crown them but not drown them. Serve at once, while the edges still crackle under the fork. Put extra sauce beside the plate if you like, but do not sauce them early.

Chef Tips

• •Use a frying potato with enough starch to crisp and enough body to stay creamy inside. Agria is the one I reach for in Spain; Kennebec, Yukon Gold, or Maris Piper work well abroad. Russets crisp hard but turn fluffier, so cut them a little larger.
• •Pimenton de la Vera is the backbone of the sauce. If you only have ordinary smoked paprika, use it with a small pinch of cayenne. The smoke will be flatter, but the sauce will still be brava if you cook it gently and finish with vinegar.
• •Do not turn this into fries with ketchup. A tomato-heavy sweet sauce belongs to another plate. Madrid's bravas need pimenton, stock, vinegar, and heat.
• •Serve them right after the second fry. Potatoes forgive many things, but sitting under sauce is not one of them.
• •A small glass of cold beer, vermut, or dry fino works better here than a heavy wine. The vinegar and pimenton want something sharp beside them.

Advance Preparation

• •The brava sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently and loosen with a spoonful of water or stock if it thickens.
• •The potatoes can be cut and held in cold water for up to 4 hours. Dry them very well before frying.
• •For a bar-style service, do the first fry up to 2 hours ahead, then finish with the second hot fry just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)