Papas Arrugadas - Wrinkled Potatoes with Mojo Sauces
Papas Arrugadas Spanish Tapas - This is actually a traditional tapas dish from the Canary Islands but can be found in other areas of Spain. They are little salty potatoes are delicious when served with Mojo Picon and Mojo Verde sauce. These can be served as a Tapas or as a side dish.
Ingredients - For the potatoes
1 kilogram of small salad or new potatoes, the perfect potatoes if you can get them are Papa Negra or Papa Bonita.
Water (tap water is enough).
4 or 5 tablespoons of sea salt.
Half a lemon
Papas Arrugadas Spanish Tapas
Method
First of all, take the small potatoes and wash them thoroughly. Scrub all the dirt from their skin, but don’t peel them! This is how they get their wrinkled look.
Then, place the washed potatoes in a pot. Cover them with water (The water should cover them in full, but don't overdo it) and add 4 or 5 tablespoons of sea salt and half a lemon. Let them boil for about 20 minutes until they are tender enough. To check if they are tender or not, you can try poking the potatoes with a sharp knife.
Finally, pour off most of the water and return to heat. Keep moving the potatoes around till the pot gets dry and see how they get wrinkled as the water evaporates. You will see how the salt appears on the potatoes.
Or
Preheat the oven to 150ºc.
Put the potatoes into a pan with the salt, water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain off any excess water.
Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the skins have started to wrinkle and the potatoes get a good white shimmer from the salty water the were cooked in.
For the Mojo Picon, Red sauce
6 tablespoons groundnut oil, or similar neutral tasting oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons white wine or cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the Mojo Verde, Green Sauce
6 tablespoons groundnut oil, or similar neutral tasting oil
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons white wine or cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
50 g ( 2 oz ) fresh coriander
Method
The traditional way of the Canary Islands is to do it with mortar but below method is much easier.
To make the sauces, just place all of the ingredients into a processor and process until a sauce has formed. Do this for the Picon and the Verde.
Serve the 2 sauces along side the potatoes and spoon over some of the sauce or dip them into the sauce before eating.
Did you know - The truly authentic and the original way to prepare papas arrugadas is by boiling the potatoes in seawater. This recipe came out from necessity, as fresh water was often scarce in the Canary Islands — so locals had to prepare Canarian food with the resources that they had.
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