“This city is a sorceress…it gets under your skin and steals your soul without you knowing it.”

• Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind

Truer words were never spoken about a city. I first read this book years before traveling to Barcelona and have reread it many times since. It instilled a deep desire in me to visit the city and when I first went in 2014, I was not disappointed. I am lucky enough to have visited Barcelona twice. The city is a sorceress, the magic runs deep. From the sea to the old gothic city center to the mountains above, there is something innately magical about Barcelona.

Barcelona is the capitol of Spain’s Catalonia region. Its citizens are fiercely independent. Due in part to this, Barcelona evokes passion in its culture and history which shows in its music, architecture and – of course – its food.

I ate so many incredible dishes in Barcelona. When I came home all I could think about was how to recreate them and relive my experiences again and again through food. I plan to do a series of posts about my favorite meals and tapas from Barcelona but must start with the obvious – the magisterial Patatas Bravas. Chunks of fried potatoes (mine are baked because, seriously, what do you do with that frying oil?!?!) served with a spicy tomato sauce and a garlicky aioli or mayonnaise. Every time I ate out in Barcelona I would get the Patatas Bravas and Sangria (I know, I know, sangria is decidedly NOT Catalan – but I just love the stuff) and compare the differences between eateries. It is amazing how something so simple can be so delicious and so different from restaurant to restaurant. My favorites were always those served with chorizo mixed in with the potatoes and my recipe pays homage to (in my opinion) the best of the best. It’s a little time intensive, but it’s worth it!

RECIPE

Patatas Bravas

INGREDIENTS:
For the Potatoes:
3 pounds of red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into one-inch chunks
1 ½ tsp Spanish smoked hot paprika (get the good stuff, trust me it’s worth it and a little goes a long way – my favorite brand is El Avion, you can find it on Amazon here)
½ pound of cased, cooked chorizo, diced into small half-inch chunks
Olive oil
Parsley (optional)
Salt & Pepper

For the Tomato Sauce:

1 15oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp Spanish smoked hot paprika
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

For the Aioli:*

1/2 cup of your favorite mayonnaise
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced by hand or grated with a microplane
Juice of ½ a lemon
Salt & Pepper

* It is perfectly fine to just use your favorite mayonnaise, but this adds a nice brightness to the dish

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
• Let your baking sheet(s) heat in the oven while you prepare the ingredients, this helps the potatoes get crispy faster.
• Toss potatoes with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper
• Once the oven is preheated, spread the potatoes evenly on the baking sheet – you may need two as you don’t want the potatoes too crowded or they won’t crisp evenly – you want a single layer of potatoes. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown, flip and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes longer, tossing the chorizo with the potatoes for the last 5-10 minutes.
• While the potatoes cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, once hot add chorizo and brown for 5-10 minutes until they start to look crispy. Set the chorizo aside, but keep the skillet handy. All those chorizo bits will be a nice addition to the sauce.
• In the same skillet over medium heat, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• Add diced onion (and a generous pinch of salt) stirring occasionally, and cook until softened but not brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and paprika and cook an additional 2 minutes.
• Add diced tomatoes and simmer on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, make the aioli.
• In a bowl, grate the garlic, squeeze juice of ½ a lemon, add 1 cup of mayonnaise and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Turn off the sauce, use a hand blender or pour into a blender and puree until smooth. Then pour back into the pan and keep warm over low heat while the potatoes finish in the oven.
• For serving, either put potatoes in a large serving bowl or platter, or into individual bowls.
• Top potatoes with a big dollop of the tomato sauce, a drizzle aioli and chopped parsely.

Enjoy with a glass of sangria!