Patatas Bravas

This is one of my favorite things to order when I go to a tapas restaurant.  It took me a couple of tries to get it right, the most important thing is to get the potatoes very, very crispy.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, and cut to 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) sour cream
• 2 cups vegetable oil

The sauce:

In a saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft. Turn off the heat, and add the paprika, Tabasco sauce, and thyme, stirring well. Transfer to a bowl and add the tomato sauce and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, fry the potatoes in olive oil until cooked through and golden-brown, stirring occasionally. Take care when adding the potatoes to the saucepan because the oil will splatter due to the salt. Drain the potatoes on paper towels, check the seasoning, add more salt if necessary, and set it aside.

Mix the potatoes with the sauce immediately before serving to ensure that the potatos retain their crispness.

Tips: Make sure to cut the cubes small and get the oil really hot, so that these get properly crisped.  Also, if you so choose you can make this a bit hotter by adding more tabasco.  I've also seen this with the sauce served on the side. Enjoy!