Bravas done properly is two sauces and one perfectly cooked potato, not a shortcut with ketchup and mayo. The potatoes are boiled until the edges just start to break down, then dried and fried so those ragged edges turn shatteringly crisp. A smoky, paprika-and-sherry-vinegar bravas sauce and a bright lemon aioli finish it — sharp, smoky, and rich all at once.
Ingredients
- For the potatoes
- 1000 g Maris Piper potatoes
- Fine sea salt, for the cooking water, salty as the sea
- 1500 g Neutral deep frying oil
- Fine sea salt, to finish
- For the bravas sauce
- 3 tbsp (41g) Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated
- 1.5 tbsp (12g) Plain flour
- 2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Hot smoked paprika
- 250 ml Chicken stock
- 1 tbsp (15g) Sherry vinegar
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- For the lemon aioli
- 1 Eggs, yolk only
- 0.5 cloves Garlic, minced
- 20 g Fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 Lemon zest
- 150 g Neutral oil
- 25 g Extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt, to taste
Equipment
- Deep fryer or large deep saucepan
- Oil thermometer
- Blender or stick blender
- Hand mixer
Cut the potatoes into large cubes. Place in a large saucepan of cold water, seasoned until it tastes salty as the sea, and bring to the boil. Cook until half done and the edges are just starting to fluff and break down.
Drain the potatoes and leave them to steam dry for 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and gently toss to ruffle the edges further.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not coloured. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in both paprikas and cook for 10 seconds.
Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Blend until completely smooth. Stir in the sherry vinegar and season with salt to taste.
Add the egg yolk, minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a few grinds of salt to a bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until combined.
While whisking constantly, gradually pour in the neutral oil and olive oil in a thin stream, making sure each addition is fully emulsified before adding more. Continue until all the oil has been incorporated and the mixture is thick and glossy. Taste and season — the salt can take a minute to dissolve fully, so wait, stir, and taste again before adding more.
Heat the neutral oil in a deep fryer or large, deep saucepan to 170°C. Fry the potatoes in batches — do not overcrowd the pan — until deeply golden and crisp, turning as needed for even colouring.
Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately toss with fine sea salt while still hot.
Portion the fried potatoes into serving dishes. Spoon the bravas sauce generously over the top and dot or drizzle with the lemon aioli. Finish with a scattering of flaky sea salt and a light dusting of extra smoked paprika.
Notes & Substitutions
Potatoes: Maris Piper is the right choice here — a floury potato that fluffs at the edges when boiled and crisps well when fried. Waxy potatoes won’t break down the same way and will fry to a harder, less shattering crust.
Bravas sauce: Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days and freezes well. Worth doubling the batch if you make bravas regularly — it reheats gently in a small saucepan without losing its texture.
Lemon aioli: Best made fresh, as the raw garlic mellows over a day but the emulsion doesn’t keep as well as a cooked sauce. If it’s too sharp straight after making, let it sit in the fridge for an hour before serving — the garlic softens noticeably.
Frying oil: A neutral oil with a high smoke point — sunflower or vegetable oil — works well here and won’t compete with the smokiness of the paprika in the finished dish.
Patatas Bravas
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 1000 g Maris Piper potatoes
- Fine sea salt (for the cooking water, salty as the sea)
- 1500 g Neutral deep frying oil
- Fine sea salt (to finish)
- 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely grated)
- 1.5 tbsp Plain flour
- 2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Hot smoked paprika
- 250 ml Chicken stock
- 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
- Fine sea salt (to taste)
- 1 Eggs (yolk only)
- 0.5 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 20 g Fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 Lemon zest
- 150 g Neutral oil
- 25 g Extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt (to taste)
Equipment
- Deep fryer or large deep saucepan
- Oil thermometer
- Blender or stick blender
- Hand mixer
Method
Boil the potatoes
1000 g Maris Piper potatoes · Fine sea salt
Cut the potatoes into large cubes. Place in a large saucepan of cold water, seasoned until it tastes salty as the sea, and bring to the boil. Cook until half done and the edges are just starting to fluff and break down.
Steam dry and ruffle
Drain the potatoes and leave them to steam dry for 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and gently toss to ruffle the edges further.
Make the bravas sauce
3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil · 2 cloves Garlic · 1.5 tbsp Plain flour · 2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika · 1 tsp Hot smoked paprika · 250 ml Chicken stock · 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar · Fine sea salt
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not coloured. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in both paprikas and cook for 10 seconds.
Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Blend until completely smooth. Stir in the sherry vinegar and season with salt to taste.
Cook the flour for the full minute before adding the paprika — this cooks out the raw, pasty taste of the flour, which would otherwise come through in the finished sauce.
Make the lemon aioli
1 Eggs · 0.5 cloves Garlic · 20 g Fresh lemon juice · 0.5 Lemon zest · 150 g Neutral oil · 25 g Extra virgin olive oil · Fine sea salt
Add the egg yolk, minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a few grinds of salt to a bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until combined.
While whisking constantly, gradually pour in the neutral oil and olive oil in a thin stream, making sure each addition is fully emulsified before adding more. Continue until all the oil has been incorporated and the mixture is thick and glossy. Taste and season — the salt can take a minute to dissolve fully, so wait, stir, and taste again before adding more.
If the aioli splits, stop adding oil immediately. Whisk a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl, then gradually whisk the split mixture into it to bring it back together.
Fry the potatoes
Fine sea salt
Heat the neutral oil in a deep fryer or large, deep saucepan to 170°C. Fry the potatoes in batches — do not overcrowd the pan — until deeply golden and crisp, turning as needed for even colouring.
Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately toss with fine sea salt while still hot.
Fry in batches even if it takes longer. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature sharply, and the potatoes steam in their own moisture rather than crisping.
Assemble and serve
Portion the fried potatoes into serving dishes. Spoon the bravas sauce generously over the top and dot or drizzle with the lemon aioli. Finish with a scattering of flaky sea salt and a light dusting of extra smoked paprika.
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