Tapas: Patatas Braves, With Pimenton Sauce Served with Black Cod in Parchment

A classic Spanish tapas from Chef Juanjo Lopez of Madrid, Spain.

Absolutely a Killer Dish, and the potatoes part would be good for a super bowl party!

Also a bonus recipe: how to cook perfect moist fish in parchment.

Recipe:

Potatoes, russets peeled and cubed into 1" cubes and soaked in water for 3 hours, then drained.  The secret to good potatoes is frying them twice.

Using a nice heavy pot, pour in some olive oil to a depth of about 2" -- don't use extra virgin olive oil as it has a lower smoke point, and will not do well over high heat.

Heat the oil up over medium high heat to about 375* F.  When hot add the spuds.  Cook until they are just starting to lightly brown.  Then remove them from the oil, turn up the heat a little bit, put them back in the pan and cook them until golden brown.

The Sauce:

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 T smoked Spanish paprika
1 T hot smoked Spanish paprika
1 T flour
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups water

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft.  Then add the bay leaf, paprika, flour and a little salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until the mixture becomes a little toasted, then add the water and bring to a boil.  Whisk constantly, when boiling reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and blend until smooth.

The Fish:

You can cook any type of fish in parchment, but white fish works best.

Place the fish onto a piece of parchment paper, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Drizzle a little olive oil on, and a knob (t) of butter.  Add a handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half, and close up the paper to form a sealed purse, you can use steel paper clips if it helps.  Place in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes at 323* or until done.  It's that easy...

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes