Spanish Duck Fat Roasted Patatas Bravas
The perfect roast spud. Period.
I said it, this is the best Patatas Bravas recipe, hands down. What makes this tapas dish so special, and the highlight of the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix menu, is the duck fat roasted potatoes. Duck fat is heaven’s gift to potatoes, and every kitchen should keep a jar of this liquid gold on hand at all times.
This brand of duck fat can be found for about $10 a jar at The Italian Centre, but I’ve spotted it at pretty much every boutique food store in the city.
I think I picked up the polenta meal trick from a British cooking show off Netflix, or could have been Jamie Oliver, but either way I trust the Brits to know how to make a good roat spud. The polenta meal creates the perfect potato exterior to crisp with the duck fat without getting oily or sticking to the roast pan.
Patatas bravas, like many Spanish dishes, is simple and made special by using fresh local ingredients. I highly recommend spending a few extra bucks to use good farmers market fresh tomatoes and nice Spanish paprika – it really makes a difference!
Duck Fat Patatas Bravas
Consider the gauntlet thrown down – these are the BEST Patatas Bravas. The polenta coating combined with roasting in duck fat make the potatoes extra crispy, and fresh tomatoes with smokey Spanish paprika season this dish perfectly.
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Roasting Pan
Ingredients
Roasted Potatoes
- 2 large white potatoes, chopped to 1-inch chunks
- 1 tbsp polenta meal
- 2 tbsp duck fat
- salt & pepper
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped (garnish)
Bravas
- 1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes
- ½ small yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp smoked hot paprika
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce (Tabasco, Louisiana)
- salt & pepper
Quick Aioli
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Roast Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F
- In a medium saucepan, cover your potatoes in salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until about half-done, roughly 10 minutes.
- When the potatoes are almost done, put 2 tbsps of duck fat into a shallow roasting dish and place in your preheated oven to melt the fat.
- Drain the potatoes and plan them back in the empty pot. With a potato masher lightly press on the potatoes, not mashing them at all, just making the edges a little fluffy. Add your polenta meal to the pot, cover, and give the spud a good shake to coat.
- Dump the coated potatoes into the hot duck fat roaster and give them a quick toss to coat in the fat (don't forget to wear an oven mitt!). Roast the potatoes until crispy and golden, roughly 20 minutes. While potatoes are roasting, make your bravas sauce.
Bravas Sauce
- In a saute pan on medium heat add your cooking oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc.).
- In a food processor, pulse your onion and garlic roughly. Add to the saute pan and fry for 3-5 minutes until onions are soft. Quickly rinse your food processor.
- While onions are frying, pop your cherry tomatoes into the rinsed food processor and pulp until roughly chopped. Add to your frying onions.
- Add your paprika, hot sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the bravas sauce down until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- If you want to get fancy with the plating, pop your bravas sauce into a ziploc bag and cut the tip to evenly pipe over your potatoes.
Garlic Aioli
- In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, mayo, and lemon juice. Scoop the mayo into a ziploc bag/squeeze bottle to drizzle over the hot potatoes with the bravas sauce.
- To assemble the dish, plate the potatoes, pipe on the bravas sauce, drizzle the garlic aioli, and garnish with chopped parsley. For a real Spanish pinxto bar feel, eat with toothpicks or cocktail forks.
