Patatas Bravas and a meal to remember

I haven't had the time to write, as I've been so busy with actual, paid work (what's up with that?) that I've barely even had time to cook. We had fish sticks and frozen ravioli last week, people. Who wants to read about that?

But I haven't been ignoring the blogosphere, oh no, as procrastination in the form of Internet surfing is a fine art Chez Food Wrangler. And once I saw this recipe for Patatas Bravas, I knew I had to get back in the kitchen.

See, there are a few things going on here. One, my husband loves smoked paprika more than nearly anything else in the world. Loves it. I've caught him walking around with his nose in the tin, inhaling the smoky scent with a pining look in his eyes. Two, a few weeks ago, he came home with bottle of Garnacha del Fuego, knowing how much I like Spanish wines, and we both went nuts over it. It's an intense, high-alcohol wine with a deep, smoky, "hot" flavor. We both thought immediately of smoked paprika when we tasted it. It's not really a summer wine, but it stands up very nicely to strong, grilled, meaty or spicy flavors. (And I'm not joking about the alcohol levels. Sip this wine.)

So when I saw the recipe for these traditional Spanish potatoes, I immediately thought of that wine, and this meal was born.

My initial thought was to pair it with Merguez sausage. I went to the only specialty foods store in my area that sells Merguez sausage.

It was $19.95/lb. Time for Plan B.

I ended up going for kielbasa from our local butcher, figuring that it would match the smokiness, but not the heat, which might be kind of overwhelming.

The mister grilled the kielbasa while the potatoes and tomatoes roasted -- the hardest part of the whole recipe was cutting the potatoes -- and I tossed them with the dressing just as we were setting the table. So easy! We served it all with a simple romaine/carrot salad with bleu cheese, to cut some of the heat. (This was a really nice contrast.)

The Verdict: WOW. No, really, just...WOW. This is a meal that's not only delicious and simple, but definitely good enough for company. Impressive without breaking the bank or breaking a sweat, and uniquely appropriate for both summer and fall -- roasting makes the most out of off-peak tomatoes, and you could cut the sausage up, saute it, and mix it with the potatoes for a hearty cool-weather meal.

We both wished for bigger stomachs by the end of the night!

Patatas Bravas (via Bitchin' Camero)

2 lb. fingerling potatoes
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tbsp. smoked paprika (medium) (Note: I only had hot paprika. I used that and omitted the cayenne. They were quite spicy.)
1 tsp. sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (less or none if you don’t like spicy foods)
1 – 2 tsp. salt (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Cut the potatoes into rough 1-inch pieces. Toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp. olive oil and place on a cookie sheet in one layer.

If the cookie sheet is large enough, place the tomatoes on the same sheet, otherwise, put them on their own cookie sheet or in a small oven-safe dish. Bake the tomatoes and potatoes for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and golden and the tomatoes are melting. Remove from oven.

Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and add the remaining 3 tbsp. of olive oil, along with the vinegar, paprika, cayenne and salt. Mix well with a fork, breaking all of the roasted tomatoes into the sauce.

Place the potatoes in a bowl and toss with the sauce. Add more cayenne or salt to taste.