rustic «patatas bravas» with baby potatoes & sauces

potatoes :

• clean and rough up the potatoes with a brush and rinse well and then place the whole potatoes in a pot of cold water with the baking soda and the salt and bring to a boil (it will take 12-15 minutes) and boil for 10 to 12 minutes until tender but still firm in the center
• drain and let them steam dry completely (no cold water rinsing)
• use the back of a spoon or the base of a glass to very gently "crack" each potato (to break the skin but keep them in one piece) and set aside 
• for the first fry : heat your oil to 160°C (320°F), fry the potatoes in batches for 5-6 minutes. they should be cooked through but not yet brown. remove and rest on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes (or set aside for longer)
• for the second fry (only before serving) : increase the oil heat to 190°C (375°F). drop the potatoes back in for 6-7 minutes (or up to 10 minutes maximum) until they turn a deep, mahogany gold
• drain on paper towels and sprinkle them immediately with some flaky sea salt

bravas sauce :

• heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion and cook for 7–10 minutes and add the garlic for the last minute
• sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes, to "toast" the flour 
• stir in the tomato paste and both paprikas. stir quickly for 1 minute until the mixture looks like a thick, dark red paste 
• slowly pour in the broth , only a little at a time, whisking constantly (it will thicken almost instantly at each time, then loosen up again with each addition) until it becomes a smooth, silky sauce
• add the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and let it simmer on low for 5 minutes until thicker but if it’s too thick, add a splash more broth (it should be thick enough to sit on top of a potato like a blanket) and  if you like, use a hand blender o blend the sauce until it is perfectly silky and finally reserve in a bowl or squeeze-bottle when cooled down
• *note : you will have enough sauce for a second batch of baby potatoes, so freeze the remaining sauce for another time or make a bravas chorizo chickpea stew soon …

allioli :

• place the egg, garlic, lemon juice and salt into a tall, narrow jar and slowly pour in the oil and let oit sit until the oil rises above the other ingredients
• lower an immersion blender to the very bottom and whirl on high speed without moving it for 15 seconds.
• once a thick white cream forms at the base, slowly lift the blender to emulsify the remaining oil
• *note : you will have much more allioli than what is needed for 500 grams of baby potaoes, so either make another batch of potatoes soon or simply use the allioli in sandwiches, etc. …

plating/assembly :

• spread a generous layer of the cold allioli across the entire bottom of a flat serving plate, or drizzle in a thick spiral
• heap the hot, double-fried cracked potatoes into a rustic pile on top of the allioli cream
• drizzle the warm or room-temperature bravas sauce over the potatoes, letting it gatherl into the cracks
• finish with a shower of finely chopped parsley and an additional pinch of flaky sea salt.

storage & reheating :

• storage : keep sauces in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator; potatoes and allioli will last 3 days; bravas sauce lasts 5 days (you can freeze bravas sauce but not allioli)
• reheating : reheat the baby potatoes in a traditional oven at  200°C  (400°F)  for 7-8 minutes or use an air fryer at 200°C for 5 minutes to restore the crunch.