David shares his favorite patatas alioli recipe today -- an addictive Spanish tapa that goes great with an ice cold beer!
Patatas alioli is one of the first tapas dishes I fell in love with in Spain. It combines everything I adore about this country's food: it's simple, tasty, and easy to share. It's also low on ingredients and cook-time, which makes it a great recipe to have in summer when the heat starts to sap your energy.

If you're a garlic lover, this dish is what you've been looking for your entire life. There's enough garlic here to make a vampire faint, which means that sharing this particular tapas dish is a must! It's a great side dish for meat and fish, and also makes for a great cold appetizer.
Pro tip: I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes for my
PATATAS ALIOLI RECIPE
Patatas Alioli
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized potatoes unpeeled
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the potatoes, then place them in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
- On a high heat, bring the water to boil. Reduce to a medium-low heat, and cook the potatoes, covered, on a soft boil for 15 minutes or until tender. Leave to cool before peeling (roughly 15 minutes).
- While the potatoes are cooling, make the sauce. Start by peeling and mincing the garlic, before mashing it into a paste with a mortar and pestle.
- Place the garlic paste and the egg yolk into the container of a hand/stick blender. Pulse lightly to combine.
- Gradually add the olive oil to the mixture, constantly blending to incorporate it as you pour. The mixture should slowly start to thicken as the oil emulsifies. Once all the oil is combined, add the lemon juice and blend to combine.
- Once the potatoes are cooled and peeled, slice them into 1-inch cubes. Coat in the alioli, and garnish with the chopped parsley.
Nutrition
OTHER EASY TAPAS RECIPES
Do you prefer patatas bravas or patatas alioli? Let me know in the comments!
Chris Nation
It so happens I have just this second sat down from draining a load of spuds, ready to make a spuds salad, to read the latest Sp Sabs email . Timely suggestion to do it 'alioli'. I'll go for it.
I am a great fan of the Spanish deli, Garcia's, in London's famous Portobello Rd. It's on the right, just before the motorway bridge, at the top end of the fruit and veg section of the market, after all the antigue and knick-knack stalls. They expanded to make a cafe next door. If you close your eyes and take a whiff, it's like Scotty has beamed you to Spain.
Many years ago I went in there to buy a jar of alioli. I was advised not to bother with the stuff in a jar. "Use a good quality mayo and just add garlic to taste". Garcia's accountants would not be pleased to hear them give that sort of advice, but I have done so ever since, usually adding pimenton picante - a sort of bravas touch. I shall fling in a load of capers, too.
There's no contest between bravas and the alioli salad. They are even-Stevens. You choose one or the other depending on the weather, amongst other things. Perhaps alioli salad on a summer lunchtime, bravas definitely for tapas outdoors, wrapped up against a chilly winter night.