Sluttishly Savoury: Patatas Bravas

Patatas bravas translates, rather awesomely, as 'fierce potatoes'. These little cubes of potato in a spicy tomato sauce are the tapas dish that everyone orders in a Spanish restaurant, but they also make a perfect side dish for just about anything. They're not only highly addictive, they're also highly easy to make at home.

Roasting the potatoes rather than frying them is both easier and results in crispy cubes rather than oily morsels. Add some fresh chopped chilli if you want REALLY fierce potatoes - you can ramp up the flavours in this sauce as the bland potatoes need something punchy atop them.

Use any leftover sauce to makes gypsy eggs the next morning. Your stomach will thank you if you've been knocking back rioja the night before.

Patatas bravas (serves 2)

You will need:

• 500g Charlotte potatoes or other waxy potatoes, peeled
  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp table salt
  
• Coarse sea salt

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes. Pop into a large roasting tin and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 40-50 minutes until crisp.
2. While they're baking, get on with the sauce. Fry the garlic and onion in the remaining olive oil over a medium-heat until the onion softens. Tip in the tomatoes, paprika, cayenne pepper, sugar and table salt. Simmer until it thickens and turns dark red.
3. Sprinkle the potatoes with sea salt. Tip into a dish and top with the sauce.
   

Serve with aioli, cold meats, chorizo, olives and sherry and pretend you're in Spain rather than the rainy UK. Answer only to Carmelita, insist everyone pronounces chorizo as 'cho-ree-tho' , call for a jug of sangria and lo, the illusion is complete.