The potato dish that'll have all your gameday guests cheering

Chef Ben Leonard headed to Culinary Essentials in Ballard to show our host Gaard Swanson how to make Patatas Bravas with Washington Potatoes. These crispy potatoes are a tapas staple in Spain, and they're the perfect addition to your gameday festivities.

Here's the recipe for you to try yourself, and remember it all starts with Washington Potatoes!

Patatas Bravas

Recipe adapted from Chef Jose Andres

Serves four people

For the brava sauce:

4 large ripe tomatoes (or canned tomatoes, if tomatoes are out of season)

2 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

2 dried bay leaves

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon pimentón dulce

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Salt to taste

For the aioli:

1 egg (or just the yolk for a thicker aioli)

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from about 1/4 lemon)

1 tablespoon filtered water

1 1/2 cups Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

For the potatoes:

3 cups of neutral flavored oil for frying, such as avocado or canola blended oil

1 pound Washington Yukon Gold Potatoes, (about 6 medium potatoes) peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon pimentón dulce

Directions

1.To make the brava sauce, slice the tomatoes in half. Place a grater over a bowl and rub the open side of the tomato over the grater until all the flesh is grated. Discard the skins. (If desired, just blend everything in a blender and strain to avoid to any seeds and skins.) Reserve 1.5 cups of tomato puree for the sauce. (The rest will keep in the fridge for up to three days.)

2. Pour the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small sauté pan and warm over medium-low heat. Add the bay leaves, tomato paste, pimentón, and cayenne and cook for one to two minutes until very aromatic, careful not to burn the spices. Add in the tomato puree, raise the heat to medium and cook until the mixture reduces by 1/4 and becomes a deep red color. Add the vinegar and reduce for about 10 minutes until it thickens slightly to a loose sauce consistency. Remove from the heat, season to taste with salt, and set aside.

3. To make the aioli, place the egg, garlic, lemon juice, water and salt in a blender, and blend everything until it's really smooth, adding the olive oil in a slow, steady stream to emulsify. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go. Keep adding the oil drop by drop until you have the consistency of a thin mayonnaise. If you prefer a thicker aioli, use only an egg yolk instead of the entire egg. The aioli can also be made by hand with a whisk, following the same procedure of adding the olive oil slowly to the other ingredients while whisking very quickly. Just be sure to very finely chop or grate the garlic beforehand.

4. For the potatoes, pour the olive oil into a deep saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently place the potatoes in the oil and poach them, frying slowly until soft, for about 15 minutes. The potatoes should not change color but will soften all the way through. Test for softness using a toothpick. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Allow the oil to return to 250 degrees Fahrenheit before frying the next batch.

5.Raise the temperature of the olive oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Working again in batches, return the potatoes to the pan and fry until crispy and brown, about two minutes. Be sure to allow the oil to return to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before frying the next batch. Set the potatoes aside to drain, and season to taste with salt.

6.To serve, place a few spoonfuls of brava sauce on the bottom of the plate. Place the fried potatoes on top and several dabs of aioli all around. Sprinkle some pimentón on top.

Don't forget the last step, which is to invite all your friends and family over to enjoy the big game and the delicious snack you just prepared!

Culinary Essentials is located in the heart of Old Ballard at 5320 Ballard Ave NW.

The Washington State Potato Commission provided funding for this content. For more potato recipes, nutrition facts, and information about potatoes, visit Washington State Potato Commission online. Follow them on Facebook here.