# Homemade patatas bravas: the potato, the sauce and a pinch of ñora - Source: https://origenes.shop/en/journal/patatas-bravas-maison-sauce-brava-nora - Publisher: Orígenes (https://origenes.shop), épicerie fine espagnole en ligne, Villeneuve VD, Suisse - Date: 2026-11-05 - Langue: en ## The essentials - For crisp bravas, choose a floury or all-round potato, peel it and cut it into irregular pieces of about three centimetres. - It all comes down to two cooking stages: parboil in cold, well-salted water, drain, shake and leave to dry, then brown by frying or in the oven. - The brava sauce goes on top at the last moment, or on the side: never mixed into the potatoes. - A pinch of ñora sprinkled from a height extends the sauce without adding liquid, so the crust stays dry. - Bravas are eaten hot, straight away, as at the counter. ## Four steps before the sauce Tap a card: each move in detail, without leaving the recipe. ### Choose Floury flesh, or at least an all-rounder, gives a tender centre and a surface that cracks as it cooks. A very firm variety stays smooth and browns without ever really crisping. **To peel or not** Most of the time, peel. Without the skin, the surface dries better and the crust forms more evenly. Peel, then give a quick rinse. ### Cut Bite-sized pieces, about three centimetres. No need for perfect cubes: corners and broken faces catch the heat and turn crisp. **The move** Turn the potato between knife strokes. **Rinse** In cold water, to remove the surface starch. The water turns cloudy: that is normal, and exactly what you want to get rid of. ### Parboil Try to do everything at once and the outside burns before the inside is ready. So the first stage looks after the centre. **Step by step** - Pieces into a large pan of cold, well-salted water - Simmer until the tip of a knife goes in without resistance, before the pieces fall apart - Drain and shake the colander: the rough edges will become the crust - Leave to dry uncovered for a few minutes, until the steam has gone > A damp potato does not turn golden, it steams. ### Brown Two options, depending on your kitchen and your mood. Either way, the pieces must not be crowded. **In a pan or deep-fried** Very hot neutral oil, pieces that do not touch too much. Lift them out when golden all over and drain on kitchen paper. **In the oven** Dry pieces, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt. A single layer on a very hot tray, hot oven. Turn halfway through: they are ready when the corners are brown and brittle. ## What goes with the potato The sauce, the ñora, the aioli and the oil: what each one is for. ### Brava sauce The Plaza del Sol one comes from Alicante, from San Vicente del Raspeig, from a house devoted to Spanish aperitif products. Tomato, spices and a measured heat, ready to serve. **The three rules** - Never toss in a mixing bowl: the crust soaks it all up and goes soft - On top, at the last moment, in stripes or small spoonfuls - Or on the side, in a small bowl, if the plate has to wait **Opened jar** It keeps in the fridge. Take it out a little before serving: ice-cold sauce on scorching potatoes is too sharp a contrast. It also works with croquetas, fried eggs or grilled meat. > If you can no longer see the golden colour, there is too much sauce. ### Ñora It comes from the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Smoky aroma, powerful flavour. On bravas, it extends the sauce without adding liquid: the crust stays dry. **The move** - Serve the potatoes, spoon over the sauce - A small pinch between three fingers - Sprinkle from a height, in fine flakes - Serve straight away **The house** Carmencita, founded in 1923 in Novelda (Alicante) by Jesús Navarro Jover and Carmen Valero, the first Spanish company to package spices in glass jars. The catering jar also serves for seafood, fish, rice dishes, salmorreta and romesco. > A pinch is enough. You can always add more. ### Aioli In some bars, bravas come with an aioli alongside the red sauce. If you like, a dash of well-garlicked mayonnaise will do. But start with the simple version. ### Olive oil An oil you keep close to the hob is enough. Belluga Selección comes from Belluga Gourmet, the home of José Luis and Teresa in Segorbe, in the Alto Palancia (Castellón): filtered, clear extra virgin olive oil in opaque metal, where no light reaches the oil. **For frying** There, use a neutral oil, as at the counter. ## Bravas for your table Move the slider: the article's tapa quantities adjust. (4 people) - Floury or all-round potatoes: 1 kg - Plaza del Sol brava sauce (185 g jar): 1 jar - Chopped ñora (pinch): 1 ## Will your bravas stay crisp? Five questions; the answers are in the article. 1. Which potato do you choose? - A floury one, or at least an all-rounder - It gives a tender centre and a surface that cracks. The firm variety stays smooth and browns without crisping. 2. Why shake the colander after parboiling? - To rough up the edges a little: that rough surface becomes the crust - The battered edges catch the heat in the second stage and turn crisp. 3. How do you serve the brava sauce? - On top at the last moment, or on the side in a small bowl - Mixed in, the crust soaks it all up and goes soft within minutes. If you can no longer see the golden colour, there is too much. 4. Why does ñora suit bravas so well? - It extends the sauce without adding liquid: the crust stays dry - Sprinkled in fine flakes, it brings a smoky aroma without wetting the potato. 5. The pieces are touching on the tray. What happens? - They steam - Crowded pieces steam. Cook in two batches if need be. ## Article In Spanish bars, patatas bravas arrive quickly on the counter. A plate, golden cubes, a red sauce with just the right amount of heat. You share them standing up, with a drink, and the plate empties fast. Nothing complicated on paper. Yet at home, we often miss the essential: the potato goes soft, the sauce smothers it, and all that is left is a lukewarm, limp dish. This recipe takes the tapa step by step. First the potato: how to cut it, and how to cook it in two stages so that it stays crisp outside and tender inside. Then the sauce, the [Plaza del Sol spicy brava sauce](https://origenes.shop/produit/plaza-del-sol-sauce-tomate-epicee-espagnole-brava-185-g), and how to serve it without drowning the plate. Finally, a touch suggested by the Carmencita product sheet: a little [chopped ñora](https://origenes.shop/produit/nora-emincee-pot-hotelier) sprinkled over at the last moment. ## The potato: the right choice, the right cut Bag of Plaza del Sol Bravo! brava-sauce crisps on a café table, with a glass and a tomato Everything starts here. A floury-fleshed potato, or at least an all-rounder, gives a tender centre and a surface that cracks as it cooks. A very firm variety, the kind kept for salads, stays smooth and browns without ever really crisping. ### To peel or not to peel Most of the time, we peel them. Without the skin, the surface dries better and the crust forms more evenly. Peel, then give them a quick rinse. ### Cut them irregularly Aim for bite-sized pieces, about three centimetres. There is no need for perfect cubes. The corners and broken faces are exactly what catches the heat and turns crisp. Cut instead into slightly irregular pieces, turning the potato between knife strokes. Then rinse the pieces in cold water to remove the surface starch. The water turns cloudy: that is normal, and it is exactly what you want to get rid of. ## Two cooking stages for a truly crisp result Jar of Plaza del Sol brava sauce, 185 g, with a swirl of red sauce on a black background It all comes down to two stages. First you cook the centre, then you deal with the surface. If you try to do everything at once, the outside burns before the inside is ready. ### Stage one: parboil - Put the pieces in a large pan of cold, well-salted water. - Bring to a simmer and cook until the tip of a knife goes in without resistance, but before the pieces fall apart. - Drain, then give the colander a shake. The edges get a little battered: it is this rough surface that will become the crust. - Leave to dry uncovered for a few minutes. The steam must escape. A damp potato does not turn golden, it steams. ### Stage two: brown Two options, depending on your kitchen and your mood. - **In a frying pan or deep-fried.** This is the bar-counter method. A bath of very hot neutral oil, pieces that do not touch too much, and you lift them out when they are golden all over. Drain on kitchen paper. - **In the oven.** Simpler at home. Toss the dry pieces with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, spread them in a single layer on a very hot baking tray in a hot oven. Turn halfway through. They are ready when the corners are brown and brittle. For coating the potatoes before baking, an oil you keep close to the hob is enough. [Belluga Selección](https://origenes.shop/produit/huile-olive-belluga-seleccion-250ml) from Belluga Gourmet, the home of José Luis and Teresa in Segorbe, in the Alto Palancia (Castellón), is a filtered, clear extra virgin olive oil in an opaque metal container: no light reaches the oil. A table-size format, to hand when you are cooking. ## The brava sauce: spoon it on, don’t drown Jar of Plaza del Sol brava sauce on a white background The [Plaza del Sol brava sauce](https://origenes.shop/produit/plaza-del-sol-sauce-tomate-epicee-espagnole-brava-185-g) comes from Alicante, from San Vicente del Raspeig, from a house devoted to Spanish aperitif products. Tomato, spices and a measured heat, ready to serve. It asks for nothing more than the right gesture. ### The three rules - **Never toss everything in a mixing bowl.** If you stir the potatoes into the sauce, the crust soaks it all up and goes soft within minutes. - **Sauce on top, at the last moment.** Arrange the very hot potatoes on the plate, then spoon the sauce over in stripes or small spoonfuls. Some of the pieces stay bare and crisp. - **Or on the side.** In a small bowl, so that everyone dips to their own taste. This is the safest solution if the plate has to wait. The potato is the dish. The sauce accompanies it. If you can no longer see the golden colour, there is too much. If the jar has already been opened, take it out of the fridge a little before serving: ice-cold sauce on scorching potatoes is too sharp a contrast. Once opened, it keeps in the fridge, and the jar will also come in handy for croquetas, fried eggs or grilled meat. In some bars, bravas are also served with an aioli alongside the red sauce. If you like, add a dash of well-garlicked mayonnaise. But start with the simple version. ## The final touch: a pinch of ñora Jar of Carmencita chopped ñora on a sunny wooden table, with a glass of red wine and tomato toast This is the finishing touch. The product sheet for [Carmencita chopped ñora](https://origenes.shop/produit/nora-emincee-pot-hotelier) says it in one sentence: sprinkled over patatas bravas, it surprises. The ñora is a small round pepper from the Spanish Mediterranean coast, dried and then chopped. It brings a smoky aroma and a powerful flavour. On bravas, it extends the sauce without adding liquid: the crust stays dry. ### How to do it - Serve the potatoes and spoon over the sauce. - Take a small pinch of ñora between three fingers. - Sprinkle from a height, so that it spreads in fine flakes. - Serve straight away. Go gently the first time. The flavour is bold, and you can adjust at the table. Carmencita is a house founded in 1923 in Novelda (Alicante) by Jesús Navarro Jover and Carmen Valero, the first Spanish company to package spices in glass jars. This catering jar is a large format: it will also serve for seafood, fish and rice dishes, and for salmorreta or romesco. ## Around the plate Tin of Plaza del Sol garlic-stuffed green olives, with olives and water splashes on a black background At the counter, bravas rarely travel alone. For a tapas evening, set out alongside a few [Plaza del Sol green olives stuffed with garlic paste](https://origenes.shop/produit/olives-vertes-farcies-a-la-pate-dail-280-g), stoned, simple and direct. Add crisps, a few almonds, a vermouth on ice, a cold beer or a glass of wine. It is not a meal, it is a table to share. ## In practice: what you need and the mistakes to avoid Gold tin of Belluga Selección extra virgin olive oil, 250 ml, with a stream of oil on a black background ### For four people as a tapa - About one kilo of floury or all-round potatoes - Coarse salt for the cooking water, fine salt to finish - A drizzle of olive oil for the oven, [Belluga Selección](https://origenes.shop/produit/huile-olive-belluga-seleccion-250ml); or a neutral oil for frying - One jar of [Plaza del Sol spicy brava sauce](https://origenes.shop/produit/plaza-del-sol-sauce-tomate-epicee-espagnole-brava-185-g) - A pinch of [Carmencita chopped ñora](https://origenes.shop/produit/nora-emincee-pot-hotelier) - To go with them: [garlic-stuffed olives](https://origenes.shop/produit/olives-vertes-farcies-a-la-pate-dail-280-g) ### The mistakes that soften everything - **Skipping the parboiling.** Without it, you get a hard crust over a centre that is still firm. - **Not drying.** Moisture is the enemy of crispness. - **Crowding the tray or the pan.** Pieces that touch each other steam. Cook in two batches if need be. - **Mixing the sauce into the potatoes.** Spoon it over or serve it on the side. - **Too much ñora.** A pinch is enough. You can always add more. - **Letting them wait.** Bravas are eaten hot, straight away, as at the counter. The rest is something the hand learns. By the second batch, you will know by eye when the corners are ready. ## Produits cités (prix et stock à jour) - Sauce brava épicée – Plaza del Sol (185 g) — 6.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/plaza-del-sol-sauce-tomate-epicee-espagnole-brava-185-g - Piment ñora émincé – Pot hôtelier 400 g | Carmencita — 13.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/nora-emincee-pot-hotelier - Belluga Selección — Huile d'olive vierge extra, boîte 250 ml — 10.50 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/huile-olive-belluga-seleccion-250ml - Olives vertes farcies à la pâte d'ail – Plaza del Sol (280 g) — 3.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/olives-vertes-farcies-a-la-pate-dail-280-g --- Vous pouvez citer ce texte en indiquant la source. Prix, poids et disponibilité font foi sur la fiche produit.