Tuesday, March 1, 2011

A Crisper, Drier Papas Bravas


This batch of Papas Bravas turned out much better than our first attempt! I thought the texture was more on par with what I’d expected, though it was still less crispy than I’d seen at restaurants. The flavor was delicious! Funnily enough, it wasn’t the overwhelming type of delicious where you know the second you put it in your mouth... Instead, it’s the kind of delicious where you take a bite, appreciate it for what it is, then realize later that you’ve been snacking on them all evening and can stop yourself from going back for more! For that, I’m certain we have the spice blend nailed down.

The only shortcomings we still have to address are the mouth-feel and the appearance. While firmer than our last batch, this one still didn’t have the crispiness we wanted. Also, the spices look like they burned on the outside of the potatoes. We think we can address both these issues by first roasting the potatoes in just oil and salt at a lower temperature until tender, then coating them in the spice mixture and broiling them briefly to crisp them. Hopefully this will give us both the taste and texture we’re looking for!


---------------
Papas Bravas, Take 2

Ingredients
1 lb 2 oz baby new potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley


Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place the potatoes in a strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin to crack them. Add the oil, paprika, chili powder, cumin, sea salt, and parsley to the bag, then shake well to mix.

Empty the potatoes on to a baking sheet and spread out into a single layer.

Roast for 40 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally, until cooked through and nicely browned.

1 comment:

jokerhmh said...

What is the sauce recipe?