Easy Fried Patatas Bravas Tapas Recipe

If there is one food I am a real sucker for it is fried potatoes. It does not matter what kind – whether it’s tater tots, fries, chips, crisps, or hashbrowns, there is just something magical to me about crispy potatoes cooked in oil. I could seriously eat fried potatoes with every meal!

Even as one of my favorite foods, I rarely ever cook them at home because to truly make them, they need to be fried in oil. This takes a lot of oil, and frying in this method is not something I regularly do.

Today I’ll break down the process and theory for perfect fried patatas bravas. The best part is you’ll be able to use these methods to fry any of your favorite potato dishes. 

What are Patatas Bravas?

Patatas bravas, sometimes also called papas bravas, are cubed white potatoes deep fried and served with a spicy sauce. Patatas bravas are a staple in Spanish Tapas restaurants and are commonly served with meats like chorizo or chistorra. 

Fun Potato History

Potatoes are not native to Europe (neither are tomatoes or corn for that matter). Even though I associate potatoes with things like fish and chips, french fries, the Irish, and in my case patatas bravas potatoes didn’t make their way to the Old World until after Columbus. 

Even after potatoes were introduced to Europe they were not widely eaten by people (again same with tomatoes), instead being used for animal feed. Luckily, someone stumbled onto the deliciousness that is the potato and several hundred years later here I am. 

If you love this type of food, try cutting your own french fries next time around!

My Approach to Deep Fried Potatoes

Whether you are making patatas bravas, papas bravas, french fries, or chips the approach will be the same. 

Pick the Right Potatoes

As you may have noticed, I have lots of different kinds of potatoes. The main determining factors are size (fingerlings on the small size, russets on the large) and waxy to starchy (red potatoes being very waxy and russets being very starchy).

For fried potatoes, I highly recommend white, gold, or russet potatoes depending on how much fluff you want in each bite. Russet potatoes will get the most fluffiness when fried properly, but can also suffer from hollowing and oil saturation if cooked improperly. 

Today, I’ll be using white potatoes for my fried patatas bravas recipe. They are basically in the middle between a Russet and a Red Potato and still are a decent size to work with (about as big as your fist). 

Pick the Right Oil

You need an oil with a high smoke point (when oil burns). The best options are for this fried patatas bravas recipe are:

• Peanut oil
• Safflower oil
• Canola oil

Peanut oil tastes best but if you have people with allergies safflower or canola will work well.

Par Boil your Potatoes

The worst thing for fry lovers is a crispy fried outside and an undercooked center. If you’ve ever ordered steak fries and left with a massive feeling of disappointment, you know what I mean. 

Here are some boiling tips:

• Salt the boiling water – this allows flavor penetration into the fry before frying 
• Boiling will prevent browning due to oxidation
• (Optional) add baking soda to the boiling liquid. This lowers the pH and helps develop more texture before frying 

Double Fry 

This is the key when it comes to fried potatoes in restaurants. If you want to know why fries at your favorite restaurant taste so good and are so crisp it is likely because of the double fry. 

If you love Five Guys or In-n-Out Fries then you don’t need to double fry, but don’t be surprised when your fries go limp 5 minutes out of the oil. 

Here are some frying tips:

• Your first fry should be at a lower temperature, such as 300-350°F. This is when the maillard reaction will kick in. 
• Your second fry should be much higher, around 400°F.

Salt Immediately After the Second Fry 

There is only one time to season fries and that is right after you pull them out of the second fry. You do not want to pollute your fry oil, and if you wait too long your seasonings won’t take. 

Frying the Right Way

Deep frying food is neither the safest or healthiest form of cooking. It is important to take care in your prep and execution to minimize your risks.

The number one mistake with deep frying is not using enough oil. You need a lot of oil to deep fry and as crazy as it sounds more oil makes for healthier frying.

To understand why more oil is healthier I need to go over the concept of specific heat. Specific heat as you may recall is the ability of things to store heat. The more of a substance there is the more heat it can store.

This is why cast iron cookware or water stays warm for so long but aluminum baking sheets cool very quickly (all due to specific heat of water and iron being much higher than aluminum).

Okay, so how does this make fried foods healthier? When you deep fry food you see lots of bubbles in the oil. Those bubbles are caused by the conversion of water to steam in and on the surface of the food being fried.

As you know, water and oil do not mix, so as long as you have bubbles coming out of the food, they are keeping oil from going into your food. 

Let’s tie all of these elements together. The lower the oil level, the lower the heat capacity – this means when you add food in the temperature will drop faster and more dramatically. If the temperature goes down the amount of steam generating is lower too allowing more oil into your food. 

Pairing Ideas for Patatas Bravas

When it comes to patatas bravas, garlic aioli is the #1 go-to sauce to pair them with. In my house, I don’t really keep mayo on hand, but I do always seem to have ranch dressing. 

That said, a quick mix of ranch, garlic, shallots, and a little siracha makes a pretty decent alternative. Protein wise, chorizo is the best meat to use, but really anything that you’d eat french fries will pair well with this side dish. 

Tools Required

For this fried patatas bravas recipe, the main tools you will need for frying are a large high sided heavy-bottomed pot. I’m using my pressure cooker but a rondeau pan, or cast iron pot will work well too. 

You will also need an instant-read thermometer. I am using an oven probe, though a candy or fry thermometer is best if you have one. 

Finally, you’ll need something to place and retrieve potatoes from the oil. A spider is best if you have one – I don’t, so I’m modifying by using a medium sieve and slotted spoon.