Papas arrugadas, translates to wrinkled potatoes and it is another classic spanish tapa. As we continue to explore all the spanish tapas there are, I want you to know that potatoes are my weakness, which is a good thing that a lot of spanish tapas have potatoes in them. I legitimately cannot go out to eat without having any fries, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, etc., on my plate. They are just too good. Anyway, papas arrugadas were originally created in the Canary Islands, so we can thank them for this delish dish!
Is it hard to make papas arrugadas?
Papas Arrugadas is probably one of the easiest dishes on this blog. You are basically taking small potatoes and putting them to boil in water with a lot of salt. After, you drain the water, put them back on the stove and cook the potatoes a little longer until you see white salted crusts forming on them. After, you shake them gently which will give you the wrinkled skin on the actual potatoes.
What do you pair this with?
So, in keeping with the spanish theme I love to pair papa Arrugadas with a classic spanish brava sauce that can be found here. It has a nice spice to it which is toned down with the actual potatoes. You can also pair it with a garlic aioli or a chipotle sauce.
What potatoes should I use?
You can technically make this dish with any potato you want, but it’s typically made with small fingerling potatoes. This is the way I like to make it. It also gives it more of a tapa feel when they are bite size.
I hope you enjoy the dish and check back next week for some more tapas!
Papas Arrugadas Recipe
Ingredients
Papa arrugadas
- 1 lb of fingerling or small potatoes
- ¼ cup of salt
- Water
Brava Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup onions diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes in a can
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the potatoes and fill the pot with enough water to submerge the potatoes. Add the salt.
- Place over high heat and allow the water to boil. Cook in boiling water for 15 minutes or until the potato is tender to a fork.
- While the potatoes are boiling, go ahead and make your brava sauce. Coat a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ½ a cup of diced onions and 2 diced garlic cloves to the oil and sauté for about five minutes, until the onions are soft and slightly translucent.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes, along with the paprika, salt, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes, until all the flavors are combined and the sauce is slightly reduced.
- After 5 minutes, place the sauce in a food processor and puree. Set aside.
- Once the potatoes are done cooking, drain the water and place the potatoes in the pot over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are covered in a crusted layer of salt.
- Serve with the sauce and enjoy!
