Mad Potatoes with Alioli Sauce

A recipe contributed by Marisa

Ingredients

    For the mad potatoes:
  • 6 russet potatoes (peeled and diced)
  • 1 cup of grape seed oil
  • 1 can of peeled diced tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 1 small red onion (chopped)
  • 1 to 4 teaspoons of red chili flakes
  • 2 spoons of olive oil
  • Salt to taste
    For the alioli sauce:
  • 10 garlic cloves
  • 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste

Preparation

Bring water to boil in a pot. Add the peeled and diced potatoes and add salt to taste. Boil until the potatoes are fully cooked (avoid overcooking the potatoes as you need the to be fully cooked but firm, you can check for consistency by sticking a fork into some of the potato dices). Remove from the heat and drain to remove any excess of water. Let the potatoes cool down to room temperature. Put the potatoes into a container with a lid and place it into the fridge to cool the potatoes and keep them cold for at least a couple of hours (ideally, this process should be done the day before so the cooked potatoes can rest in the fridge overnight).

Blend at medium-high speed the peeled diced tomatoes with the chopped garlic cloves, red onion and 1 to 4 teaspoons of red chili flakes (depending on the desired level of spiciness). Pour the blend into a pot and bring it to boil at medium heat, reduce the heat and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat, add the two spoons of olive oil and salt to taste and stir. Set the mad sauce aside to cool.

In a small frying pan, heat the grape seed oil to over medium-high (about 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Deep fry the potato dices in small batches for about six to eight minutes each until golden brown. As you remove the fried potato dices from the oil, lay them over a paper towel to drain and remove the oil excess.

Put the peeled garlic cloves into a mortar and add a touch of salt. With a pestle, crush the garlic cloves energetically until they are fully smashed. Add two or three table spoons of the extra virgin olive oil and continue crushing the garlic for few minutes until you obtain a yellowish paste. Mix the paste with the rest of the olive oil and continue stirring vigorously fore few more minutes until the mixture is completely homogeneous.

Place the fried potato dices in a serving dish. Serve with the mad sauce and alioli sauce as garnish.

Additional Information

Servings and Preparation Time. This recipe serves 4 and requires about 40 to 50 minutes to be prepared.