The best known Spanish potato preparation is of course patatas bravas, which features on pretty much every tapas menu on the planet. Delicious as they can be, this Canary Islands recipe is a bit different and every bit as tasty. The cooking method is unusual – the potatoes are cooked in heavily salted water which is allowed to evaporate completely, and this gives the papas the ‘wrinkled’ quality. The mojo rojo is a sauce which can be mild or fiery depending on your mood, but the fiery version works every time for us! The best dried chillies to use for this are the tiny Mexican pequins, but the African piri piri ones work too, both equally hot!. Serve the papas as an accompaniment to steak, chops or fish prepared ‘a la plancha’ (on the grill).

01.

Ingredients

1kg small, waxy potatoes in their skins
4tbs coarse sea salt (our fleur de sel is perfect)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1tsp hot paprika
2tsp sweet paprika
1/2tsp cumin
4 pequin chillies, rehydrated in a little hot water then crushed to a paste
6tbs extra virgin olive oil
2tbs white wine vinegar
salt to taste

02.

Method

  • lace the potatoes in a large pan, where they all fit in one layer. Add just enough cold water to cover, and the salt.
  • Boil hard, with the pan uncovered on a medium to high heat, until the potatoes are very tender and the water has evaporated (keep an eye on them so they don’t burn).
  • Then leave them on a very low heat for a few minutes, keeping them moving and turning in the dry pan until they are wrinkled and covered with a fine powder of salt.
  • For the sauce, place the garlic, paprika, cumin and chillies in a bowl, then beat in the olive oil and vinegar with a fork until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.