Bravas potatoes, known as «Patatas Bravas» in Spanish, are one of the most famous tapas in Spain and probably in the world. There isn´t one bar in the whole country that won´t offer authentic Spanish patatas bravas in their menu or as a free tapa.
If you are going for a drink, or if you are planning on joining a tapas tour, you must at least give them a try, and if you are not visiting Spain but you still want to eat them at home, don´t worry because today we are going to teach you how to make traditional patatas bravas with a very easy recipe.
What are patatas bravas ?
Before we explain you how to make them, let us tell you what the patatas bravas are exactly.
They are a very simple dish made of two things, the potatoes and the brava sauce. Potato bravas are made in different ways in almost every corner of the country, but somehow, they are always so good, that all of them are considered as the authentic Spanish patatas bravas. The different ways of coocking them are part of this traditional meal.
How to make Patatas Bravas?
Everyone knowns how to roast, fry or bake potatoes right? Well, that of course is an important part of making patas bravas, but unfortunately it is easiest as well. Although the patatas bravas sauce recipe isn´t hard at all, it does take more time and a little bit of effort. Below you will find the ingredients and the process step by step:
Patatas bravas ingredients
- 1 Small onion
- 2 tbsp of sweet paprika and 2 of hot hot smoked paprika
- 500 ml of chicken broth
- 2 tbsp of flour
- Parsley
- 4 Medium size potatoes
- Oilve oil
- A pinch of Salt
⏰Patatas Bravas cooking time:
- 45 mins
- 472
💪 Patatas bravas calories:
Authentic patatas bravas sauce recipe 🌶️
- 1-Cut the onion in small and thin slices and place them in a pan with heated olive oil.
- 2-Before the onion is done, add the paprika (both, sweet and hot) and mix them together.
- 3-Add the flour and mix it all with the oil, then add the chicken broth and let it cook during 10 minutes.
- 4-Last of all shake the sauce and pass it through a sieve.
- 1-Cut them in small cubes
- 2-Fry them to medium/low heat
- 3-Serve the traditional bravas sauce over the potato (not much)
- 4-Add some parsley according to your taste. You are ready to eat!
Authentic patatas bravas recipe🥔
Simple and easy patatas bravas recipe
As we mentioned earlier, there are many ways of making them, this one we have just shown you is the easiest and best patatas bravas recipe we know about, but we are sure there might be many others, so if you have any suggestion or ways to improve this recipe, we would love to see it in the comments!
Patatas bravas as tapas
Now that you can properly cook papas bravas, you have to know more about them, starting with what´s the correct way to eat them.
Well, it is not like you can make it wrong, but in Spain, patatas bravas are always eaten as tapas, you might see people getting them as a starter or even as a main course ( which is crazy🤣), but it is not so common.
If you want to make patatas bravas, when having some friends or family at home, be sure to do it as an appetizer about 1 hour or before the actual lunch or dinner.
What to eat with patatas bravas?
Bravas potatoes are delicious and don´t need any companions, but it is true, that if you are hungry, they will not be enough to fulfill you. Therefore, below we are going to tell you a few dishes you can eat them with:
Patatas bravas aioli
This is the most famous one of all and eventhough it doesn´t include more food and it won´t help you much if you are starving, it is soo good that we just had to say it first.
This traditional tapa combining the two most famous Spanish sauces is getting very common lately and you will find it in many restaurants. Imagine how delicious it is, that even a huge company like McDonalds is serving potatoes with bravas and aioli sauce in their menus.
Patatas bravas with chorizo
It would be rare, if you find a dish that can not be combinated with chorizo in Spain and even if it can´t happen, Spaniards will find the way to make it possible.
The Spanish patatas bravas aren´t any different from the rest of the plates and finding papas bravas with chorizo is very common. It is absolutely delicious, so if you have the chance, give it a try.
Patatas bravas with chicken
As we told you before, the most typical use of bravas potatoes is eating them as a tapa, but there are excemptions and this is one of them.
It might not be so common to see, but mixing a few patatas bravas with a delicious "pollo al ajillo", to keep the Spanish mood, would be fantastic idea.
Facts about bravas potatoes and its sauce
Now that you are in the mood, we are going to take the chance and tell you about some of the most famous stereotypes and fun facts about the patatas bravas... Some of the things you have heard are probably fake!
Is the patatas bravas´ sauce spicy?
These is the most common one of all. Those who get to try it and hate spicy, end up saying, it is super hot, but in the others side, the ones who love spicy food say the opposite. So what´s the truth? What do Spaniards say?
Well neither of the answers is correct, it is kind of in the middle. You will for sure find spicier food in Spain but we must also admit the hot paprika isn´t sweet. That said, if you want it to make it hoter, there are also many spicy patatas bravas recipes that you will sure love.
Are papas bravas healthy?
When you first look at them, the first thoughts that come to your mind are... "This can´t be good", it feels like if you were looking at the food of any fast food restaurant, luckily, they are not so bad.
Of course, that doesn´t mean you should eat them daily and it would be better to get them every once in a while, like if they were chocolate.
Patatas bravas origin and history
The origin of patatas bravas is not clear at all, but there are a few theories:
Fist theory says patatas bravas were discovered after Spain conquered the Inca empire in 1542. Potatoes were not really popular at that time, and they were considered animals´food. People thought potatoes were poisonous but a thirty years war, made them have to eat it.
The second theory says that the origin is from "Casa Pellico” or "La Tahona", two popular bars in the 60´s in Madrid. There were long queues every day to try their patatas bravas.
There is no way to prove the real history of the patatas bravas, but there is one thing we know for sure, Madrid is popular for their Spanish patatas bravas, so there are big chances to believe the famous spanish dish is from the capital of Spain.
Enjoy the authentic patatas bravas
That´s all you need to know about patatas bravas. Hope you have enjoyed these quick patatas bravas and if you have any question or suggestion, please let us know!
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