MADRID, March 1, 2012—Stop mashing, baking and frying your potatoes and experiment with a classic Spanish tapa, patatas alioli.
Spaniards drool over these tender potatoes covered in a smooth and rich mayo-like sauce made by emulsifying garlic and olive oil. Eggs give it extra body and a richness which, when cut by a bit of acid, is delicious.
Olive oil, garlic, and potatoes just might be Spain’s culinary holy trinity. Make this dish once and you’ll be eating them religiously.
Ingredients
- 6-7 medium-size Potatoes
- 2 eggs
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced (as many cloves as you like)
- Fresh parsley, chopped
METHOD
1. Fill a large pot with cold water and bring it to a boil with the skin-on potatoes. Lower the heat enough to stop the boiling and cook until fork tender, approximately 20 minutes.
2. While the potatoes cook, prepare the sauce. In a bowl, using an electric hand mixer or immersion blender, mix the eggs, garlic, salt, and the vinegar or lemon. The acid serves to stabilize the emulsified sauces texture and cut through the richness of the olive oil. At this phase, the consistency should be like store-bought mayonnaise.
3. Keep the mixer on and add a steady stream of olive oil, slowly at first, until you reach a consistency that is thinner than a store-bought mayonnaise, yet still has body.
4. Peel the potatoes with the back of a pairing knife and cut into bite-size pieces. Cool to room temperature. If you do not cool, the potatoes will soak up to much sauce and become too soft.
If you cool too much, they will not soak up any flavor so do not try to hurry them along in the refrigerator.
Mix with the alioli and garnish with parsley.
Note: While Salmonella does not grow in acidic environments, the egg yolks in this recipe are raw, so use proper caution if it is of concern in your area.
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