Patatas bravas

I love potatoes. While we do not eat them often, perhaps once in 3 or 4 months, I prefer to eat Patatas Bravas to almost anything else...even french fries! And to those who know me well, know I was a french fry addict.

The tangy, spicy tomato sauce is just so much better than ketchup... although there is a great restaurant called DMK which makes it's own house ketchup that is pretty spectacular and they have grass fed/finished burgers that are SO good. ummm...I just ate and I'm hungry again. ;)

Anyway.. back to patatas bravas...the first time I had it was at a small place in Madrid called Jaime's that has some of the best food... the bravas and the gambas...the champiñones (mushrooms)....  oh, my goodness, so good.  We went back two nights in a row!

Patatas Bravas

Potatoes in Spicy Tomato sauce

•  2 lb potatoes, any kind
• lard or some fat for frying
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 teaspoons sweet paprika (pimenton)
• 1/4 teaspoon (more or less) cayenne pepper
• 1 lb tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup of water

Peal and cut the potatoes into bite size cubes (about 3/4 inches).  Rinse, drain and dry the potatoes.

Keep the oil to the side and warm while you make the sauce.  Or you can make the sauce first and keep that warm.

Potatoes: 
Heat oil/fat for frying, take out 2 tablespoons for doing up the sauce once the oil is hot.  Once the oil/fat is hot, cook the potatoes (as if you were making french fries) in batches. Set to drain on a paper towel. 

Sauce:
Start up the tomato sauce by using the 2 tablespoons of oil/fat once and bring it up to heat. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add garlic, cayenne, paprika and saute for about 2 minutes on medium low heat.  Add tomatoes, bay leaf, 1/3 cup of water and cook until tomatoes break down to a sauce like consistency.

Put the sauce on top of the potatoes and serve.