April 11, 2024

Alexa Santos’s Full English x Spanish Tapas

For the Patatas Bravas –

Ingredients:
-1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
-kosher salt
-extra virgin olive oil
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-2 tbsp all purpose flour
-1 tbsp tomato paste
-1 tbsp sweet paprika
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 cup chicken broth
-1/4 cup sherry vinegar

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 450F. In a large bowl, pour in the potato cubes and season generously with salt. Leave for a few minutes, then coat with a generous amount of olive oil. Transfer the potatoes to a heavy-bottomed roasting pan, making sure potatoes are in a single layer without crowding.
-Place pan in oven and roast for about 15 minutes, until the bottoms are browned. Carefully turn the potatoes over, reduce the heat to 400F, and continue roasting for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are browned and crisp.
-While potatoes roast, make the bravas sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add about 2 tbsp olive oil. Once hot, add in the garlic cloves and cook about 1 minute. Add in the flour and stir. Add in tomato paste, paprika, and cayenne, and stir to mix. Slowly and evenly pour in the chicken broth while stirring, until it’s a gravy-like consistency. Stir in the sherry vinegar, then taste for seasoning. Pour into a small bowl then set aside for serving with the potatoes.

For the Bacon-Wrapped Dates –

Ingredients:
-12 medjool dates, pits removed
-3 ounces goat cheese
-12 marcona almonds
-6 strips bacon, cut in half

Directions:
-Place 12 toothpicks in water to soak. Preheat oven to 350F. Into each date, place a dollop of goat cheese and a marcona almond. Wrap each date with one of the balcon halves, and poke a toothpick through to secure. Place dates on a foil-lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Bacon should be brown and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.

For the Full English –

Ingredients:
-4 plum tomatoes, sliced
-extra virgin olive oil
-kosher salt
-pepper
-fresh thyme
-1 cup portabella mushrooms, sliced
-1 can baked beans
-cooking spray
-8 eggs
-fresh chives, finely chopped

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking pan with foil, then place the sliced tomatoes spaced apart. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, then sprinkle on salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Bake for about 20 minutes, until caramelized. Remove from oven & set aside.
-Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high. Add in the mushroom slices and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Season with salt & pepper. Once mushrooms are golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.
-Heat the baked beans up in a pot over medium heat.
-Heat cooking spray in a nonstick pan over medium, and then crack in the eggs to fry (a couple at a time). Once cooked to your liking, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
-Plate the full English with the fried eggs, baked beans, sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, bacon-wrapped dates, and patatas bravas. Garnish the plate with fresh chopped chives. Enjoy!