Papas arrugadas with mojo verde and a spicy mojo picón
Papas arrugadas, or Canarian wrinkly potatoes as they are also affectionately known, originate from the Canary Islands and are one of the easiest tapas dishes to make. This super-tasty and 100% vegan-friendly recipe involves boiling down potatoes in salt until the water evaporates, creating a lovely, salty wrinkled skin that’s ideal for dipping in spicy ‘mojo’ sauces. The sauce is where the fun begins and Canarian mojo sauces have three varieties, mojo verde, mojo rojo, and mojo picón (Green, red, and spicy red for us English speakers). This recipe takes around 45 minutes to make and includes time to make the mojo verde and mojo picón dipping sauces. Serves 4 people tapas.
Equipment
- blender or food processor
- 2 sealable jars For storing the extra mojo sauces
- 1 large 10-inch/25cm pot For boiling the potatoes
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 1 kg/35oz. Baby potatoes We used the Lucinda variety from Spain
- 6 tablespoons coarse salt
For the green mojo (mojo verde)
- 2 large green bell peppers roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh chopped coriander or parsley
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 4 small chilies for some spice
- ¼ old baguette or breadcrumbs
For the spicy red Mojo (mojo picón)
- 2 large red bell peppers roughly chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 8 small chilies add more for more spice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- ¼ old baguette or breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Add the salt and potatoes to a large 10-inch saucepan and add enough water to just cover the potatoes.1 kg/35oz. Baby potatoes, 6 tablespoons coarse salt
- Bring to the boil then turn down to medium-high heat and boil potatoes uncovered until the water evaporates (this time will vary depending on your potato size - expect anything from 20-45 minutes).
- Meanwhile, prepare the mojo sauces.For the green mojo (mojo verde), add all ingredients except the bread into a blender and buzz for around 3 minutes. To get the desired consistency, add some small pieces of bread to the blender and continue to buzz for another minute. Pour into a sealable jar for use later.2 large green bell peppers roughly chopped, ½ cup fresh chopped coriander, 4 cloves of garlic minced, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of ground cumin, 4 small chilies, ¼ old baguette, 4 tablespoons olive oil
- For the red mojo (mojo rojo), add all ingredients except the bread and repeat the same steps as with the green mojo. Pour into a sealable jar for use later.1 tablespoon of ground cumin, 2 large red bell peppers roughly chopped, 6 cloves of garlic minced, 8 small chilies, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon of ground cumin, ¼ old baguette
- Once all the water has evaporated from your saucepan, you’ll be left with a pool of salt in the bottom of the pan. Remove this salt pool, and scrape off any excess salt on the potatoes then return to medium-low heat for around 5-8 minutes. The potatoes will start to shrivel slightly.
- Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve with a few small bowls of red and green mojo sauce for dipping.
