Sambal Patatas Bravas

Prep & cooking time 45 minutes

Serves 4–6 as an appetizer or side

Indonesians eat a little sambal (a fiery chili condiment) with every bite of food. You’ll find it served with noodles and fried rice, plonked into soups and curries, dolloped over fritters, even eaten on its own with just a plain bowl of rice. When the idea struck to pair crisp, golden chunks of potatoes with sambal – a nod to the iconic Spanish dish patatas bravas, in which fried potatoes are served with spicy tomato sauce, sometimes topped with mayonnaise – I ran to the kitchen. 

While traditional patatas bravas, and most Indonesian potato recipes, use a deep fryer, I’ve opted for roasting them in the oven until golden for ease. This simple sambal begins with a paste of red chiles, garlic, shallots and ginger, a quintessential base for many Indonesian meals. The sauce, once reduced, reaches a peak of tomatoey-umaminess hot enough to tingle your mouth. 

Combined with the crispy, golden potatoes and a liberal coating of Kewpie mayonnaise (use vegan mayo if you prefer), it will keep you diving back in for more. Is this dish an appetizer, an entrée or a side? It could be any of these, but whatever you serve it with, it will be certain to steal the show.

INGREDIENTS 

A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia Lara Lee

• 1 whole head of garlic, plus 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped, or 2 tsp garlic paste

• ½ cup flavorless oil, such as canola

• 1 ¾ lbs baby white potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

• ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus extra to taste

• large pinch of freshly ground black pepper

• ½ onion or 1 medium shallot, peeled and finely chopped

• 2–4 medium-heat red chiles, finely chopped (seed if you prefer less heat)

• ¾-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, or 2 tsp ginger paste

• 1 × 14-oz can diced tomatoes

• 7 tbsp Kewpie or ordinary mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp chives cut into ½-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the head of garlic in half horizontally through all of the cloves. Pour ¼ cup oil into a large baking dish and add the potatoes. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper and toss to combine.

Nestle the two halves of garlic, cut-side up, among the potatoes, then drizzle the garlic with a little oil. Bake for 35–40 minutes, tossing halfway through, until crisp and golden. The garlic may be ready sooner than the potatoes. Check after 35 minutes and remove the garlic when the cloves look soft and caramelized. 

To make the sambal, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion or shallot, chiles, ginger and chopped garlic and fry for 5–7 minutes until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch. 

Add the tomatoes and their juices, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring every so often. Season with a pinch of salt. 

Once the potatoes are crispy and fork-tender, remove them from the oven. The garlic cloves should be soft and caramelized (discard any that have hardened or overcooked). Once cool enough to touch, squeeze out the cloves, removing and discarding the skin. Toss the roasted cloves with the potatoes.

To serve, spread the sambal on the base of a serving platter. Top with the garlicky potatoes. Spoon the mayonnaise over the potatoes and garnish with the chives. Serve immediately.

Excerpted from A Splash of Soy by arrangement with Bloomsbury Publishing. Copyright © 2023, Lara Lee. Photographs by Louise Hager

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