Papas Arrugadas are traditional Canary Island potato recipe called as wrinkled potatoes. It is made by cooking small potatoes in heavily salted water until potatoes are cooked through. These cooked potatoes are left to dry in the pan until the potato skins get wrinkly and the potatoes are lightly coated with salt. This wrinkled salt potatoes are served with red and green mojo sauce making it a delicious Spanish appetiser.
Papas Arrugadas Recipe (Wrinkled Potatoes)
I first came across Papas arrugadas while exploring my Spanish cookbook. I was immediately fascinated by how something so simple as boiled potatoes become such an iconic dish. What made me so interested in this recipe is the history behind it. I read that these potatoes are cooked in sea water because scarcity of fresh water by local fisherman.
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Fishermen on the Canary Islands used ocean water to boil small, unpeeled potatoes so they could save their limited fresh drinking water when they were on their boats. I also loved the idea of serving this salt potatoes with red and green mojo sauce. So immediately tried my version of it.
About Papas Arrugadas (Wrinkled Potatoes Recipe)
Papas arrugadas literally means wrinkled potatoes. The word 'Papas' means 'potatoes' and 'arrugadas' means 'wrinkled'. It is a traditional dish from the Canary Islands.
Small potatoes are cooked in heavily salted water until tender. Once potatoes are cooked, the excess salt water is strained and the potatoes are left to dry in the pan which creates the iconic wrinkled texture and salt crust on it. Traditionally this wrinkled potatoes served with red mojo picón and mojo verde.
The history of papas arrugadas is connected to the arrival of the potato in Canary Islands from America. Today, potatoes have become one of the most important part with the islands that papas arrugadas is considered one of their signature dishes.
The traditional method of cooking potatoes is so fascinating. They use sea water to cook the potatoes in a heavy bottom pan over wood fire. Once the water evaporates, the salt and potatoes dries up in the same pan which wrinkles the potato skin and creates a layer of salt crust over the potatoes. That is how this dish was born.
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This dish reflects a very typical Canarian cuisine where simple ingredients like potatoes and salt can create such an iconic dish that is loved all over Spain. Specially it is served in bars and cafes all over Spain as tapas.
For making this dish, choose small to medium size potatoes. Traditionally papas arrugadas use heirloom Canarian potato varieties known as papas antiguas (ancient potatoes). You can also use Varieties like Papa Bonita and Papa Negra.
One important step in making this recipe perfectly is to use the correct size of pan. Potatoes should be in a single layer and not over crowded to get the perfect salt crust. Also you should use just enough water to cover the potatoes completely. Too much water may take longer time to create the crust.
The next important is the amount of salt to potatoes. For every 1 kg of potatoes, I use around 100 grams of salt. This amount gave me a thick coating of salt crust over the potatoes. You can reduce the salt to 50 grams if you want a light coating.
Don't be scared to use this much salt, thinking the potatoes may get too salty. It never does. Potatoes when boiled with skins absorbs just enough salt. In Spain, they say that potatoes know exactly how much salt they need. They absorb only as much salt as necessary and never become overly salty. Also this amount of salt preserved the boiled potatoes longer and adds flavour.
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Ingredients
- Potatoes - use small to medium size potatoes. You can use new potatoes, make sure to scrub any dirt off from it.
- Salt - sea salt is preferred as it helps with the texture of the potatoes.
Step by Step Pictures
1)Wash, scrub potatoes to remove any dirt from it. Add the potatoes to a pot so the potatoes are in a single layer. Cover the potatoes with cold water until it comes just above the potatoes.
2)Add sea salt into the potatoes and mix well.
3)Place the pot on high heat and bring it to a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes boil for 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cooked. If your water evaporates too quickly, you can add more water as required.
4)Once the potatoes are cooked, you can strain most of the water just leaving a thin layer of salted water.
5)Now increase the heat to high and evaporate the water. As the water evaporates you will see the salt sediments around the sides and bottom of the pan.
6)Shake the pan as you evaporate the extra water. As you shake the pan, you will see the salt coating the potatoes.
7)Keep shaking gently so the potatoes gets even layer of salt crust.
8)Once all the water has dried, reduce the heat to medium and leave the potatoes in the pan to dry up.
9)The potato skin will get wrinkly by this time and the salt must have dried completely over the potatoes.
10)Gently remove the potatoes from the pan and serve with red and green mojo sauce.
Expert Tips
About Potatoes - while choosing the potatoes make sure you pick small to medium size. Since these are boiled and serve whole, small to medium potatoes are best. Traditionally papas arrugadas use heirloom Canarian potato varieties known as papas antiguas (ancient potatoes). You can also use Varieties like Papa Bonita and Papa Negra.
Salt - you have to use sea salt for this recipe. I used around 100 grams of sea salt for every 1 kg of potatoes.
Pan Size and Water level - One important step in making this recipe perfectly is to use the correct size of pan. Potatoes should be in a single layer and not over crowded to get the perfect salt crust. Also you should use just enough water to cover the potatoes completely. Too much water may take longer time to create the crust. Heavy bottom pan is preferred as it makes the job easier.
Storage and Serving - Since this dish has a good amount of salt, you can keep them at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. For longer storage, keep them in fridge. Papas arrugadas taste best when served warm with red and green mojo sauce.
FAQ
Q: Can I use large potatoes for papas arrugadas?
It is best to use small to medium potatoes for making this dish. As it cooks faster and gets wrinkled skin and salt crust evenly.
Q: How much salt should I use for papas arrugadas?
For every 1 kg of potatoes, I use around 100 grams of salt. This amount gave me a thick coating of salt crust over the potatoes. You can reduce the salt to 50 grams if you want a light coating.
Q: What should I serve wrinkled potatoes with?
Papas arrugadas taste best when served warm with red and green mojo sauce.
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Papas Arrugadas Recipe (Canary Island Wrinkled Potatoes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg Small Potatoes with skin on
- 100 grams Sea Salt
Instructions
- Wash, scrub potatoes to remove any dirt from it. Add the potatoes to a pot so the potatoes are in a single layer. Cover the potatoes with cold water until it comes just above the potatoes. Add sea salt into the potatoes and mix well.
- Place the pot on high heat and bring it to a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes boil for 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cooked. If your water evaporates too quickly, you can add more water as required.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, you can strain most of the water just leaving a thin layer of salted water. Now increase the heat to high and evaporate the water. As the water evaporates you will see the salt sediments around the sides and bottom of the pan.
- Shake the pan as you evaporate the extra water. As you shake the pan, you will see the salt coating the potatoes. Keep shaking gently so the potatoes gets even layer of salt crust.
- Once all the water has dried, reduce the heat to medium and leave the potatoes in the pan to dry up. The potato skin will get wrinkly by this time and the salt must have dried completely over the potatoes.
- Gently remove the potatoes from the pan and serve with red and green mojo sauce.
Nutrition
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