Patatas Bravas & Patatas Alioli

Along with Spanish tortilla, patatas bravas is one of my favourite tapas dishes and the spicy tomato sauce really lifts up these crispy little potatoes. I also like the alioli with them and if you are making patatas bravas then for very little effort you get two dishes for the price of one. If you serve the sauces in separate bowls rather than over the potatoes the benefits are threefold, 1) the potatoes will remain crisp, 2) you can add both brava sauce and alioli to the same batch of potatoes and 3) people like me can use it on bread and Spanish tortillas, yummy.

I cooked my potatoes in the oven which I know isn't traditional but I find you need less oil to make them crispy and it freed up the stove top for other dishes. For the tapas party I made the two sauces ahead of time and also boiled the potatoes so that all that was required once the guests arrived was to pop the oiled potatoes into the oven to crisp up and heat the tomato sauce.

As you can see the pictures aren't great as I had to photograph the food under artificial light quickly so that I could serve them piping hot to our guests.

Patatas Bravas & Patatas Alioli

Can be vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, and gluten free
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce:
1tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Small onion, finely chopped
400g can Tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Clove garlic (optional)
1/2tsp smoked paprika
1/4tsp Chilli powder, or to taste
A good pinch of sugar
A splash of sherry or balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

For the Alioli:
6tbsp Mayo (There are gluten free, dairy free and vegan mayos available so check packet)
1 Crushed and finely chopped garlic clove
1/2tsp Lemon zest
1-2tsp Lemon juice
sprinkle of black pepper


For the potatoes:
500g Potatoes, peeled and cut onto smallish chunks
1-2tbs Olive oil, enough to coat the potato chunks

Method

• I recommend making the alioli first and then popping it in the refrigerator until needed as the flavour really does need a little time to develop. Add all the alioli ingredients and mix together in a small bowl. Taste just before serving and add more garlic or lemon juice if needed. 
• There are two ways to make these potatoes, the first involves simmering the chunks in boiling water until just tender and then just before they are needed tossing in the oil and placing on a baking sheet and roasting at 200degrees C/390F/gas mark 5 until crispy. This should take around 15-20 mins, turning the potatoes occasionally. Alternatively skip the parboiling and coat the raw potatoes in oil and roast for around 40-45mins, turn occasionally and cover with foil if they start to brown too much.
• To make the spicy tomato sauce add the oil to a pan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry until soft. Next add the remaining ingredients and simmer on a medium heat for around  10mins or until the sauce has started to thicken. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, sugar, vinegar or chilli as required. 
• Serve the potatoes hot with the alioli and warm tomato sauce separately.