Patatas Bravas

Today's dish is inspired by another Serious Eats post made earlier this week. Patatas bravas - meaning "angry potatoes" - are a typical Spanish bar snack. The "brava" part of their name refers to the slightly-spicy and tangy sauce that is served over them, which tends to vary depending on where in the country you are. On the coast near Valencia, the sauce is mixed with an aioli and thus has a garlicky flavor; in Madrid, the sauce's tomato base and addition of paprika are what stand out most. This is a crowd-pleasing dish that pretty much everyone will enjoy, so try this at your next party or as a side with dinner.

Ingredients:
2 pounds potatoes*
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard OR 2 tablespoons mayonaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt and pepper
3 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste
Olive oil
Scallions or parsley, for garnish

*Any kind of white potatoes will work here. Russet, fingerling, etc. are all fine to use.

Procedure:
(1) Boil potatoes for about 5-7 minutes until they are still firm but a fork can pierce them.
(2) Remove them from water and allow them to cool while you prepare their sauce.
(3) Combine tomato sauce, mustard or mayonaise, paprika, cumin, vinegar, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper or hot sauce and mix well. Regarding the cayenne pepper or hot sauce, put in as much as you'd like. I suggest adding a little at first and then adding more to increase the level of desired spiciness, as it is easy to add spiciness but difficult to reduce spiciness unless you increase the quantity of the rest of the ingredients. Traditionally, salsa brava is mildly spicy.
(4) Put a cast iron skillet (if you don't have one, just use a regular skillet) over medium-high heat.
(5) Cube potatoes or cut them into small wedges and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
(6) Add potatoes to skillet and toss occasionally to make sure that they become crisp on their exterior.
(7) When potatoes are done, serve them on a plate or in a large bowl, covered in sauce and garnished with scallions or parsley.

Salty Sticky Sweet Vinegar Drumsticks

I was browsing Serious Eats last week when I found a recipe for "vinegar-glazed chicken." Since I am a vinegar fan, I just had to try it, but with my own spin. Instead of serving the chicken over polenta, as the recipe suggested, I came to the conclusion that with football season in full swing, why not serve these drumsticks in the style of chicken wings? They are salty, sticky, sweet, and finger-lickin' good, and would be just as well-received at a Super Bowl party as they would at a sit-down dinner party. If you're serving them as finger food, a good blue cheese dressing would pair well with the tartness of the vinegar glaze on the meat.


Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks (here, I used 8 large ones)
3/4-cup vinegar*
Four cloves garlic
Three teaspoons chopped rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4-cup chicken broth
Olive oil

*Here, I used rice vinegar. Red wine vinegar would also work well. However, I would avoid balsamic vinegar for this particular recipe due to how quicky it thickens and hardens as it is heated. If it hardens around the drumsticks and on the sides of the pan, it can cause the drumsticks to taste burnt and bitter.

Procedure:
(1) Combine vinegar with minced garlic and chopped rosemary. Allow flavors to meld as you prepare the chicken.
(2) Season drumsticks with salt and pepper.
(3) Add a splash of olive oil to the pan and put on medium heat. Add drumsticks and brown on all sides.
(4) When chicken is thoroughly browned, remove drumsticks to a plate and remove any excess oil from the plan. Deglaze the plan with chicken broth and return drumsticks to that same pan.
(5) Allow chicken broth to reduce until about 75% of it is gone from the pan. At this point, add the vinegar/garlic/rosemary mixture.
(6) As the vinegar mixture reduces, turn drumsticks so that they are coated on all sides. Remove pan from burner when sauce is thick and syrupy in consistency, and serve chicken soon after.