5:30 CHALLENGE: Weeknight patatas bravas made possible with trip to the freezer aisle
Prior to the pandemic, patatas bravas were one of my must-have dishes when dining at tapas bars. These days I’m making them at home, along with many other restaurant menu favorites.
The biggest challenge with quick patatas bravas is the potatoes themselves. Even finely diced potatoes are not particularly speedy to cook, especially when you consider that most recipes for the dish use twice-cooked potatoes — boiled then fried. Do you want to deep-fry on a Wednesday night? I don’t either.
Enter shredded, frozen hash browns. I keep a bag in the freezer these days for when Waffle House craving hits, and they make just as good of a base for dinner as they do for breakfast, especially when you cook the potatoes in quality extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter. The only trick to cooking these hash browns properly is to not overfill the skillet. For every two servings, you’ll need a separate medium- to large-sized cast- iron skillet to ensure quick cooking and proper texture. Feeding a family of four or more? Pull out a pancake griddle or a second skillet; the results are worth the extra clean-up.
Patatas bravas often come with a duo of sauces: a flour-thickened red chili sauce and an aioli. Both can be prepared with pantry staples while the potatoes cook.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cups frozen country-style shredded hash browns
- Salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon smoked, hot or sweet paprika
- 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, for the sauce
- On the side: Steamed broccoli, zucchini or green beans
- Coat 10-inch cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Add the hash browns in a single layer, then season with salt. Cover and set over medium heat. Let cook until browned on the bottom, 7 to 10 minutes. Uncover, and flip the hash browns as best you can (it is okay if they break up into small pieces), then cover and continue to cook until browned on the second side and cooked through, 3 to 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
- While the potatoes cook, make the sauces: Coat the bottom of a small saucepan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add three-quarters of the garlic and cook, stirring until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour and paprika. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until very bubbly, 30 more seconds, then whisk in 1/2 cup water. Let the mixture come to a simmer and thicken, still whisking, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and the red wine vinegar, if using. Thin out with additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed, to make the sauce easy to drizzle.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and remaining garlic. Thin out with water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed, to make the sauce easy to drizzle. Season to taste with salt.
- Transfer the hot hash browns to a bowl then drizzle with half of the garlic-paprika sauce and garlic-mayonnaise. Serve hot, with the steamed vegetables and the remaining sauces on the side. Serves 2
- Note: If you’d like to double the recipe, keep the sauce amounts the same and double the potatoes. Use two skillets or a griddle to cook the potatoes.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 667 calories (percent of calories from fat, 32), 7 grams protein, 105 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams fiber, 24 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 3 milligrams cholesterol, 1,585 milligrams sodium.
