Papas arrugadas con mojo

Portion size: Serves 6 as a tapa
Prep time 20 min. Cook time 25 min
Difficulty: easy

Head of food, delicious.

Papas arrugadas is a traditional dish from the Canary islands. Learn how to make these wrinkled new potatoes with two fresh mojos (sauces).

Popular potato dish: Papas arrugadas, popular throughout the Canary Islands, sees little potatoes boiled in heavily (and we mean heavily) salted water, leaving them with a chalky, wrinkled salt crust on the outside and wonderfully tender centres.
Fresh sauces: When you combine the little salty potato nuggets with a double act of ‘mojos’ (sauces) – one green and fresh, the other smoky and fiery – it’s one of the best things you can snack on in the sun.
Make ahead: Both sauces can be made up to 24 hours in advance and kept in the fridge – just give them a stir before serving as they may separate a little.

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Ingredients

1kg baby new potatoes (jersey royals are great if in season)
75g sea salt flakes

For the mojo verde

30g coriander, any larger stalks removed, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp white wine vinegar
100ml olive oil

For the mojo picón

4 dried chillies or 1 tbsp chilli flakes
50g white bread, roughly chopped (stale is fine)
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
100ml olive oil

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Method

Put the potatoes and salt in a saucepan that’s big enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer. Pour in enough cold water to just cover them, then set over a high heat and bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender to the point of a knife.
Drain any remaining water, then return the potatoes to the pan over a low heat, rolling them around occasionally, for a few minutes. This helps to remove the excess moisture and create the wrinkled salt crust.
For the mojo verde, put all the ingredients in a food processor with a big pinch of salt and whizz until smooth.
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For the mojo picón, put the dried chillies in a heatproof bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Set aside for 10 minutes to rehydrate. (If you’re using chilli flakes, you can skip this step.)
Put the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) in a small food processor with a pinch of salt. Whizz to a coarse paste. Lift the chillies out of the water (reserve the liquid), then remove and discard the seeds and stalks. Add the chillies to the processor and whizz again, then start slowly pouring in the oil with the motor running. If the mixture is still a bit thick (you’re aiming for a sort of loose pesto rather than a thick romesco), add a splash of the chilli soaking liquid (or water, if using chilli flakes).
Serve the potatoes with the sauces on the side. A great way to eat them is to take a potato, crush it a little with your thumb to make a sort of well, then spoon in a little of both sauces and eat in a single bite.

Nutrition

443kcals Calories
34g (4.9g saturated) Fat
4.1g Protein
29g (2.5g sugars) Carbs
3.5g Fibre
4.8g Salt

Cook smarter

If you’ve ever eaten this dish on the Canary Islands, then you’ll know the potatoes are often tiny varieties grown on the islands themselves. They’re hard to find in the UK, but as long as you’re using small, similar-size potatoes (often sold as ‘baby’ or ‘miniature’), you’ll get excellent results.