Patatas bravas with smoky onion relish
Patatas bravas is a great dish to serve as a light bite with a cold beer or as part of a tapas spread. The trick is to get really crispy potatoes; we’ve used new potatoes, with delicate young skins and loads of flavour. Traditionally it’s served with a spicy tomato sauce, but it works excellently with this smoky onion relish. It’s not a quick to make, but cooking the onions low and slow is key to a deep flavour.
Cook's notes
This will make more onion relish than you need; any leftover will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge in a sterilized jar.
Ingredients
For the onion relish:
- 1kg onions
- olive oil
- 2 tsp best quality smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves
- 175ml white wine or cider
For the potatoes:
- 600g new or salad potatoes
- olive oil
Method
To make the onion relish:
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Step 1
Peel and roughly chop the onions. In a heavy bottomed frying pan, heat a generous glug of olive oil. Add the onions and cook on a really low heat for at least 90 minutes, until they have completely browned. Stir occasionally and make sure they don’t burn.
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Step 2
Peel the garlic, keeping the cloves whole. Add them and the paprika to the pan and stir. Turn the heat up slightly and add the wine or cider. As the liquid reduces, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and mix in.
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Step 3
Allow to cool. Add to a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and season.
For the potatoes:
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas mark 6 and pop a roasting tray in to heat up. Scrub the potatoes and cut into small cubes - the more even and consistent you can get them the better.
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Step 2
Toss in the preheated roasting tray with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes, removing and turning a couple of times during cooking time, until they are lovely and crispy all over.
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Step 3
Spread the onion relish on a plate and pile the potatoes on top.